Isadora
by ReginaEridanus
Summary: Janey had always been in awe of Orion's magical powers but she'd always hoped Isadora wouldn't inherit them. She was Janey's entire life, and she didn't want to share her with this other world where a muggle like her was useless. And now, he would take her away and teach her magic, and Izzie would go off to be a witch and never think again about her daft, magic-less old mum.
1. Chapter 1: Childhood

**(1960)**

Isadora's dad was an odd fellow. He was never at home. Izzie's mother claimed he was working, but she also claimed they were married when everyone knew they were not. He was a lord or something of the sort- you only had to see the clothes he wore, to hear him speak, or watch him scowl to anyone who tried to chat with him the few times he appeared on the street. Meanwhile, mother and child lived comfortably -they had nice clothes, and a brand new television set- but it was obvious he didn't live with them. He could often be seen watching Isadora play with the other children on Saturday afternoons, but only for a little while. It didn't take long for everyone in the street to realize that Jane Howard was probably that man's mistress. They complained at first- did they want a woman like that living among them, in a nice street like theirs? With their daughter playing among their children? But at some point, it didn't seem to matter anymore. Janey was all smiles and sympathy and the girl took after her mother, thankfully. The little dresses she sewed for the girls' dolls were adorable- and she practically gave them away. She was not the sort of neighbor with whom one could exchange gossip, but she was nice enough, and always knew which new film was worth watching or where to get the best new fabrics for a bargain price. But she never spoke about her daughter's father, no matter how friendly one was with her or how much they asked. Eventually, they stopped asking and even curiosity waned. In the end, they pitied her. The poor girl was obviously madly in love with that proud and unpleasant man. Someday he'd tire of her, and it would end in tears.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

**(1963)**

It was a few days after Isadora's seventh birthday when Janey noticed that her daughter's father had been visiting them much more often than usual. He generally came once or twice a week, but she counted four visits that Saturday. He seemed to be watching Izzie closely, although Janey couldn't imagine why. Her daughter seemed happy to have her Dad around, and she certainly didn't complain.

That day she had been hard at work making a dress for little Sarah-from-around-the-corner's doll, and Isadora became obsessed with the shiny pale blue fabric she was using. Izzie's favorite doll's dress was pink, but it was less than a month old and Janey didn't think she had enough fabric for two dresses. She refused her daughter and Izzie insisted until she almost cried, so Janey had to send her to her room without pudding. Now that they were alone, Izzie's dad came to sit closer to her, but then Izzie came running out of her room, holding her doll out for her mother to see.

'Look, Mummy, look at what I did!' she said excitedly, smiling widely and showing the little gaps where her baby teeth were missing. Janey looked at Margaret the doll and gasped. Its pink dress had turned the same shade of blue as Sarah's doll.

Janey stared at it, stunned, while Izzie's father scooped their daughter up and hugged her, joyous.

'I knew it! I knew you'd be a little witch!' he was saying, spinning around, making Isadora laugh deliriously.

'No, she isn't,' she argued, taking the doll from her daughter's hands. 'That's the dress for Sarah's doll, isn't it?

'No, it's not!' the girl protested.

'Don't be silly,' he said, his broad smile still there. 'You left that in the table, it's right there!'

He smiled at Izzie with a look of pride Janey had never seen on him before, not even when he held her in his arms for the first time.

'We ought to go out and celebrate her first bit of magic, don't you think?' he went on.

Janey felt she should put on a brave face and a smile, but instead she broke down in tears.

'It's not her first bit of magic,' she admitted, shamefully.

His smile disappeared, and he put Izzie down.

'Maybe you should go back to your bedroom,' he told her. Izzie pouted. 'I will have none of that! Go to your room, and I'll bring you a present next time.'

Izzie obeyed after giving her mother a look of concern. Janey felt stupid for not being able to stop crying. He sat down next to her, put an arm around her shoulders and made her feel even worse.

'At first I thought it was just chance' she admitted. 'Little things that could happen on their own. But one day, when she was about three, the glass of milk flew across the room, not one drop spilled... there was no explanation for that, except...'

'Why didn't you tell me? I told you this could happen when she was born...'

'But I didn't want it to happen!' she snapped. How could he not see? Janey had always been in awe of his magical powers but she'd always hoped Izzie wouldn't inherit them. She was Janey's entire life, and she didn't want to share her with this other world where a muggle like her was useless. And now, he would take her away and teach her magic, and Izzie would go off to be a witch and never think again about her daft, magic-less old mum.

'I didn't want her to be like you,' she tried to explain. 'I don't want you to take her away into your world...'

'I won't be taking her anywhere now,' he said with a smile. 'Yes, she'll go away to school when she's eleven, but doesn't everyone?'

'No!' she answered. 'Well, some children do, but not all...'

'But you can write to her, and she'll have Christmas holidays, Easter holidays and summer holidays... it will be fine.'

He gave her a kiss on her forehead and Janey knew the argument was over and there was nothing more to say. He didn't understand her fears, how isolated she would feel when time came for Izzie to go away. But mostly, how much she feared that once his magical daughter was absorbed into the magical world they shared, he would forget about her.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

**(1967)**

When Janey had to take Isadora to Diagon Alley, Izzie's dad refused to go with them. He explained that everyone would recognize him, and he might as well publish a notice of acknowledgement of his illegitimate daughter in _The Daily Prophet_. However, he had arranged for a professor of the school to go with them, so this soothed her nerves about navigating the magical world all on her own. Horace Slughorn was a pleasant man, although he kept treating Janey like a retarded child. Isadora was delighted with all the sights of that wonderful magical world, until a tall, dark-haired girl that Professor Slughorn called Miss Black came to greet him and stared at Isadora and her mother with downright disgust. Janey panicked. The thought of Izzie going to school with her lover's nieces was too much for her to bear.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

'Unless you want me to send her to Canada, she's going to Hogwarts. Durmstrang would never take her and I don't like Beauxbatons,' Isadora's dad said. 'It's the only magic school in Britain, so I'm afraid it'll have to do.'

'You mean she'll be going to school with your sons, too?' Janey said, dismayed. 'I can't believe you!'

'My sons and my nieces are, or will be, all in Slytherin, making friends amongst those of their own class,' he assured her with a superior tone. 'They'll never even look at her.'

He left early after giving Izzie a bag of gold coins for her expenses for the school year, failing to notice that Janey had taken offence to his words.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

The corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry seemed never-ending and confusing to Isadora and her fellow first years on the second of September. Trying to navigate the seas of older students in search of a classroom they'd never been to was intimidating. Isadora was very nervous about fitting in. So far, she'd managed to impress her dormitory mates with a few spells her dad had taught her- and others she'd seen her dad do, although they were somewhat less successful- and made a few friends. They all wondered at a muggleborn (the label was new to Isadora and it was also a lie she'd been instructed to tell) capable of those little spells and familiar with the little things from everyday magical life. However, on their first morning of classes they were all so utterly lost- wizardborn and muggleborn alike- that the inconsistency didn't matter.

The tight knot of first year Hufflepuffs were wondering whether to ask older students the way to Transfigurations when Isadora felt something tug at her ankle, lost her balance, and landed hard, face first, on the hard stone floor. Her classmates gave a gasp of surprise, and then laughed. For a few seconds, all Isadora felt was the burning of her scraped knees and embarrassed face. Everyone was so occupied laughing that no one came to help her up. Isadora looked around from the floor and saw the smug face of an older Slytherin student, with pretty long hair and a somehow familiar aristocratic face.

'Andromeda, that's childish,' said another, even older, Slytherin girl, coming to Isadora and helping her up. When she took her hand, she saw it was the girl she'd seen greeting Professor Slughorn in Diagon Alley. One of the girls Janey had complained about to Arthur, one of his nieces. 'A silly Trip Jinx, aren't you too old for that? Please excuse my sister,' she told Isadora. 'Andromeda lacks true creativity when it comes to jinxes.'

Andromeda looked at her sister with exasperation, but the older girl didn't seem to notice. 'I am Bellatrix Black,' she continued, pointing her wand at Isadora's new robes and fixing a little tear that was the result of her fall, 'and I know perfectly well what you are.'

Isadora almost jumped. Bellatrix's kind tone hadn't been sincere, and she'd noticed that, but now her loud voice had dropped to a cruel whisper.

'A new little Miss Black,' Bellatrix said. 'I'll have you know that Blacks have no ties to muggle filth like you, so you'd better start going by another name or prepare to suffer the consequences.'

Isadora was speechless. People around her were still laughing about her fall, and no one had noticed the older girl's threat. She was afraid of the older girl's determined and serious face. Bellatrix smiled at the results of her little speech and went back to Andromeda and other Slytherins who looked amused at Isadora's terrified face. As soon as Bellatrix had her back to her, Isadora felt something hot running down her legs. There was a new roar of laughter as a first year boy pointed at the yellow pool around Isadora's feet. She stared at it in horror and couldn't stop tears of shame falling down her cheeks.

'I'll tell Slughorn, Black!' yelled Joan Bones, Isadora's prefect, who'd just come running. 'Don't worry, it wasn't you,' she told Isadora. 'It's just one of Bellatrix's nasty jinxes. I hope you didn't get on her wrong side, she can be really horrible.'

She cleaned the little pool and Isadora's clothes with a few spells, broke up the merriment of other first years with a story of how mad Professor McGonagall would be if they were late to their first lesson and threatened to rest house points if they laughed at Isadora, but it was of no consolation to her. She knew that as soon as Bones went her way the other kids would start their teasing and never let Isadora forget the humiliation.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

**(1968)**

By the end of her first year, Isadora found that she hated Hogwarts almost as much as she loved it. She loved learning magic, and she was happy as long as she was safe inside Hufflepuff house. But, on the other hand, most of the Slytherins despised her, and the Black girls kept bullying her for daring to have Black as a surname. They always said she wasn't worth such an illustrious name. The scene of her first day of school repeated itself almost weekly. Andromeda was not as vicious as Bellatrix, of whom Isadora was absolutely terrified, but it was their younger sister, Narcissa, who tormented her most frequently. She was only one year above Isadora, so the teachers and prefects often insisted they should resolve it amongst themselves. Isadora's classmates stopped finding it funny when other muggleborn and muggle-lovers started being attacked in much the same way by a variety of the school's pureblood and proud population. Isadora wasn't even the only one to suffer for being an unapproved Black; a fifth year Ravenclaw called Edward Black had had his life made hell by the sisters and their pureblood friends, but at least, as far as she knew, he wasn't really related to them. Isadora's tongue literally burned every time she tried to tell them exactly who her father was.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

**(1970)**

It wasn't until a Hogsmeade visit in fourth year that Isadora figured out why her tongue burned every time she tried talking about her father. While she and her friend Cathy were exploring the caves just off the limits of the village, Andromeda Black sneaked up on her. Isadora was a little scared, but Andromeda hadn't really bullied her since the start of second year and this time fellow Hufflepuff Ted Tonks was with her. He assured Isadora that Andromeda would not hurt her and persuaded Cathy to leave them alone.

'I wanted to say I really am sorry for the way my sisters and I treated you,' she said awkwardly. 'It isn't your fault that Black is your surname. Ted says it's quite common in the muggle world.'

Isadora didn't answer.

'I know an apology doesn't really cover it,' Andromeda said, reaching into her pocket.

'You people try to fix everything with money, don't you?' Isadora said, thinking of her father. Money had been the only answer to Isadora and Janey's complaints about the behavior of his nieces.

Andromeda stared, open mouthed.

'I-it was a gift, actually,' she said, giving her a book. 'Ted told me you are interested in fashion.'

It was a heavy, expensive tome of Madam Beauxvêtu's _History of Wizarding Fashion_. She had checked that book out of the library at least sixteen times for the past year.

'I meant for it to be a token of peace,' Andromeda explained. 'I'll try to keep Narcissa from hurting you, but I'm afraid she doesn't really respect my opinion anymore.'

'You are a seventh year. All bets will be off after you are gone. And the boys will come next,' Isadora said darkly, not really thinking about what she was saying. When she realized, she looked up at Andromeda with alarm. The older girl looked very suspicious already.

'What do you know of them?' she asked.

'Nothing-' Isadora said hastily. 'Somebody told me you had cousins -two boys- and that I would have to take even more care of myself next year...'

'Why would you care about a first year?' Andromeda argued. 'You know, Isadora is not an uncommon name amongst Blacks, and I daresay it's not a common one amongst muggles, is it?'

Isadora panicked, not knowing what to say. She meant to make something up- but the truth she had been forced to guard for three long years was fighting to come out.

But, as it always did, her tongue started to burn. She tried to go ahead despite it, but the pain became too much to bear and tears of frustration started rolling down her cheeks. Andromeda's expression softened, and her look of suspicion was replaced by one of realization.

'Open your mouth,' she said, holding her face gently and directing her wand towards Isadora's face. 'I know that curse very well. My father uses it on us when we hear things they wouldn't like to be repeated, especially when we were young. I know the countercurse now,' Andromeda explained, and Isadora felt relief from the pain. It was like a massive weight was taken off her shoulders, and she almost collapsed on the nearly frozen grass.

'Tell me the truth, Isadora.' Andromeda offered a handkerchief and placed a kind arm around her shoulders. 'Are you my half-sister?'

'No,' Isadora said between tears, and then told Andromeda everything.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

**(1971)**

For the reminder of her fourth year, Andromeda tried to protect her from Narcissa and other Slytherins, but her relationship with muggleborn Ted Tonks had made her an enemy of all her former friends, and it made everyone Andromeda protected even bigger targets. Ted had ended up in the hospital wing at least twice, because Slytherin seventh and sixth years kept ganging up on him. Some Hufflepuffs started arranging for a guard of honor to accompany the star-crossed lovers everywhere, and Isadora enjoyed her status as Andromeda's (secret) little cousin and being on the margins of such a love story. But Andromeda and Ted fled to freedom in the night their NEWTS were over, and Narcissa caught up with Isadora the next day. She bore the mark of her Stinging Hex for the whole summer. The only thing Isadora's father said to it was that she should have kept away from Andromeda and that she'd better do so from then on. Janey took Isadora to visit Andromeda and Ted to their flat in East London the very next day, with a look of defiance Izzie had never seen in her mother's eyes before.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

A week after they had gone back to Hogwarts, Narcissa came looking for Isadora. She caught her in a dark hallway near the kitchens that she thought Slytherins didn't know about. Andromeda had polished Isadora's knowledge of curses and countercurses over the summer, but she knew that it really wasn't up to par to Narcissa's. Luckily, somebody interrupted them.

'What are you doing, Cissy?' said with surprising force a dark haired first year. Isadora almost fainted. She had gotten a glimpse of Sirius Black when he'd been Sorted to Gryffindor and had run to the Owlery to write to Andromeda that her half-brother was not a Slytherin, but she hadn't even seen him since then.

'Go away, Sirius, this is my private business,' said Narcissa menacingly. 'Aren't you supposed to be up the seventh floor, anyway, or wherever Gryffindor Tower is?'

'We were looking for the kitchens, Peter got hungry,' he said, pointing to other three boys that were behind him, looking with concern to the two older girls with the wands out. 'Isn't this the girl Andromeda told you to leave alone?'

'I think you should all leave, the kitchens are the other way,' Isadora said quickly, shepherding the four boys away from Narcissa's cold fury.

'Don't talk to me about Andromeda!' she screamed at Sirius. 'You are not supposed to talk about her anymore – she's dead to us all!'

'She wrote to congratulate me on being a Gryffindor,' Sirius said haughtily. 'And she said that I wasn't to be mean to a fifth year from Hufflepuff named Isadora that all of you are always mean to!'

Narcissa looked at Isadora with more anger that she had ever seen.

'Go away!' she told the boys, and the other three wrestled Sirius away despite his protests.

'Andromeda is MY sister!' Narcissa screamed, shooting her first curse, which Isadora reflected with some difficulty. 'You don't get to talk to her when I can't!' she continued, almost in hysterics. 'STAY AWAY FROM US, AND FROM SIRIUS TOO!'

'It's you who never stays away from me!' Isadora complained trying to fight back, but Narcissa had already got her with another Stinging Hex.

It was fortunate that the boys had been surprised by a teacher, who they had directed to the dark little hallway where Isadora and Narcissa were dueling. Narcissa got three months detention for her vicious Stinging Hex. Isadora had a feeling that the longer Narcissa's detention, the worse it would be for her.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

Two months into her fifth year, Isadora found herself in love with Aaron Smith. It was a bit dramatic, like Andromeda and Ted; he was from a rich pureblood family, but unlike the Blacks, they seemed a lot less preoccupied about blood purity. Aaron was handsome and a sixth year, and Isadora had never heard him say the word 'mudblood'. She'd even heard his sister Judith outragedly docking points from a younger student who had said it. Aaron was also all sympathies and smiles, and when he invited her to Hogsmeade, Isadora was over the moon.

Their date went well, despite the snide comments made by some of Narcissa's pureblood friends from the next table at The Three Broomsticks. After a few weeks of holding hands in the hallways and kissing behind statues, Aaron confessed that his family didn't really approve of Isadora, considering her below his class. Isadora then confessed to her boyfriend the identity of her father. His solemn promise to not let anyone outside of his own family know about it didn't extend to Judith, who told Ernest Macmillan, who told Rosemary Moon, who told Amelia Arden, Narcissa's best friend.

A week later, Isadora landed in the hospital wing with horns, beaver teeth, reversed knees, three marks of Stinging Hexes and the nastiest case of pustules Madam Pomfrey had ever seen. She didn't name her attackers, knowing it wouldn't help her, and with Narcissa conveniently still in detention and with the perfect alibi, nobody was accused and not a single point was docked. And what was worse, Professor Sprout gave her a lecture on the consequences of lying about such grave matters as one's paternity. Isadora didn't know if Sprout was telling her to keep her mouth shut in order to survive, or if she actually believed that Isadora would make something like that up.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

Isadora saw Andromeda again for Boxing Day. She and Ted had invited Isadora and Janey over for tea to their new flat.

'Ooh, this is just like those Thamesmead flats, isn't it?' Janey said, looking around impressed. 'But it's not council owned, is it?'

'No, it actually belongs to one of Andromeda's aunts,' Alice, Ted's mum, explained. 'She's renting it to them for a very low price.'

'You must be so happy to see them get their own place and be out of your hair, aren't you?' Janey teased. Alice and Janey had gotten along marvelously from the moment they had discovered that both had been evacuated to neighboring villages during the war and they had lots of stories and gossip in common.

'Thank you for inviting us,' Isadora told Andromeda, accepting a cup of tea from her. 'It's so nice to see you again!'

She didn't mean to sound teary, but something in her tone betrayed her.

'Is Narcissa being a bitch to you?' Ted asked, and Andromeda elbowed him.

'No more than usual,' Isadora lied, though not very well. 'So who's this aunt that's helping you? Narcissa keeps saying that you are dead to them all.'

'Yes, well, I'm not the only one a bit rebellious,' Andromeda smiled. 'My Great-Aunt Cassiopeia had a great affair with a muggle soldier during Grindelwald's War, so she decided to help us secretly. She's the one who got us into training at Saint Mungo's.'

Last time Isadora had seen Andromeda and Ted, she was selling muggle make-up door to door and he was trying to learn to fix cars in a nearby garage.

'She's not the only one, either,' Ted said. 'Tell her where we spent Christmas.'

'Oh, yes, another great-aunt, one of Cassiopeia's sisters, actually, married a Potter,' Andromeda explained. 'The Potters are terrible blood traitors but highly regarded, so Aunt Dorea more or less does what she pleases, and the family cannot complain. She had us over for Christmas, and she extended the invitation to Ted's mum when we told them we didn't want to leave her on her own.'

'They were all very nice,' Alice said. 'Mr. Potter is a true gentleman, this was the first time I spoke with a wizard that didn't make me feel like a silly child.'

'Oh, I know what you mean,' Janey sighed.

'And I didn't tell you the best bit!' Andromeda jumped excitedly. 'Dorea has a son who is in Sirius' dormitory and they are great friends, apparently. I'm hoping he will be a good influence, and Dorea said that they might try to invite him over some day- Aunt Walburga can hardly say no to her- and they'll have us over too!'

'That sounds wonderful,' Isadora answered, looking sideways at her mother, who'd gone pale to the mention of Walburga Black.

'And what did you do for Christmas?' Alice asked politely.

'Oh, we didn't do much yesterday, we never do,' Janey said. 'We usually spend the 25th by ourselves, having some pudding and watching a bit of telly, pulling a cracker or two. But Arthur came over on the 24th, as usual.'

'She means my father,' Isadora explained immediately. 'We are supposed to call him by his middle name.'

'His middle name is Arcturus,' said Andromeda, frowning. 'Oh, it's Anglicized. I suppose that makes sense.'

'Oh, Orion's such a silly name, I'd much rather call him Arthur,' Janey said dreamily. 'We had a nice meal, he's always such a dear and so generous to us, isn't he, Izzie?'

'Sure, mum,' Isadora said, slightly embarrassed.

'He gave me a new sewing machine, top of the line,' Janey said in a loud, cheerful tone, to Andromeda's amazement. 'And he bought Izzie a beautiful gold bracelet -that one she's wearing- and a book full of patterns for wizarding clothes, because I told him she's been sewing for some of the girls at Hogwarts - and a lot of fabric, as well!'

'Wow,' Andromeda said dryly. 'I can't quite imagine Uncle Orion buying a muggle sewing machine. He'll have us all believe he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a toaster and a fridge!'

Isadora saw that Alice realized the tension her mother seemed blissfully unaware of, and invited her to see the kitchen appliances the flat was fitted with.

'Your mother didn't seem quite so fond of him last July,' Ted commented.

'She wasn't,' Isadora admitted, putting the empty tea cup in the coffee table. 'She used to be angry at him because he never seemed to care about the way you- well, your sisters, mostly- were always treating me. I think he's been coming 'round a lot more lately.'

'Has he always given you muggle things and the like?' Andromeda asked angrily.

'Well, he usually goes on and on about how inferior everything muggle is, but yes,' Isadora admitted. 'That's the way it's always been. Loads of gifts and money.'

'I can't believe he's such a hypocrite,' Andromeda said, walking angrily to the window. She took a pack of fags out of her pocket and lighted one, blowing out the smoke against the glass with fury. Isadora sat speechless at her cousin's unexpected outburst. 'He was _very_ clear about me never setting foot in his house again for daring to marry a muggleborn, and then he goes and has bastards with muggle women and gives them sewing machines for Christmas?'

'Calm down, 'Dromeda!' Ted said, alarmed. 'Isadora and Janey are not at fault here, you shouldn't take it out on them!'

'I know, I'm sorry, Izzie,' Andromeda said immediately, turning away from the window. 'I didn't mean to be so rude,' she exhaled more smoke. 'But I can't understand it. I don't think I've never even seen him take that much of an interest on the boys! The bracelet is exactly his type of gift, but the book and the fabric? I'm sure he doesn't know _anything_ about Sirius' or Regulus' interests!'

Isadora's cheeks were burning, but she managed to retort:

'He's _always_ talking about the boys! And how he takes an interest in their education and how good he's sure they'll turn out. He's made it clear that he takes care of us, and expects us to love him in return, but that his place is with them, not us.'

'Judging by the way your mother speaks about him, it's like he's a complete different person with you two than he is with the rest of the family,' Andromeda finished, because Alice and Janey were back from the kitchen, and they all started praising Andromeda and Ted's fireplace.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

Andromeda's words stayed in Isadora's mind and kept her up at night. Her cousin had sent her an apologetic letter, but in reality it only showed Andromeda's deep resentment towards Izzie's father. Orion, she wrote, had gone on and on at the dinner table about the dangers of crossbreeding with people of blood less pure than theirs for the entirety of Andromeda's life. She obviously felt it was unfair that she had been cut off from the family for doing practically the same thing he had done.

Isadora thought Andromeda was right. Orion kept up a double standard she couldn't understand. To his family, he was a typical pureblood wizard. To his mistress and daughter he was someone else entirely. Andromeda said she'd grown up hearing stories about how muggles were little more than animals, and it had taken getting to know Ted and being extensively educated by him and his friends to change her mind. How on Earth had Orion, the scion of the House of Black, ended up with a muggle girl like Janey?

There was only one person she could ask.

'How did you and Dad meet?' Isadora asked the night before New Year's Eve. Janey looked up from her tea surprised, and blushed.

'It wasn't very special. We met in a nightclub,' she said, carefully avoiding her daughter's eyes. Isadora snorted in disbelief.

'What was he doing in a muggle nightclub?' she asked. Janey sighed and moved uncomfortably on her chair.

'Well, I'm not sure you're old enough, but I'd rather tell you the truth now than lie.' Janey pushed her plate of baked beans away and faced her daughter. 'It wasn't odd for chaps like your dad to show up with their friends to the kind of nightclubs my friends and I used to frequent. Rich boys like that sometimes came looking for girls who… who might give them what their posh fiancées were not quite ready to give them. '

Isadora felt herself blush almost as much as her mum.

'And we… well, we fooled ourselves into believing they might fall in love with us, and rescue us from our boring jobs, turn us into ladies or duchesses.' Janey sighed with a melancholic smile. 'The girls were always talking about some girl they'd heard who had ended up married and in a stately home.'

'And one day your dad came in with a group of his friends. They were odd and talked nonsense, but he was so shy and sweet,' Janey smiled, with a nostalgic look in her eyes. 'I got pregnant two months later.'

'Did you know he was married?' Isadora asked. Janey's dreamy expression sobered, as it did every time she was reminded of Walburga Black.

'Not at first, but he told me he was engaged to his cousin before I knew about you. He had to marry Walburga out of family expectations, and if he wasn't a Black…' Janey stopped suddenly. 'Walburga _never_ made your dad happy,' she said, forceful, as if she was trying to convince Isadora. 'We are the ones who do that.'

The atmosphere had been ruined by the mention of Walburga, and Isadora didn't quite dare to keep questioning her mother. The more she found out, the less she could reconcile her dad with the man Andromeda told her about; the man who had a half-blood daughter yet despised Andromeda's marriage to a muggleborn.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

** (1972)**

Isadora saw her father again on the day after New Year's. She paid extra attention to the attitudes Andromeda had spoken of, and his inborn superiority was always there, yes, but not the violent dislike of his nieces and the rest of the teenagers of his social class. Isadora attempted to question him as inconspicuously as she could.

'I've been having a go at mum's machine,' she said casually. 'It's the best I've ever seen.'

'We are so very grateful, Arthur,' Janey added.

'But I'm intrigued, how did you know which one to buy?' Isadora added herself. 'Most of the wizards at school wouldn't be able to tell a sewing machine from an electric kettle!'

'You are right, Isadora, I probably wouldn't,' he nodded with a small smile. 'There's a fellow who works as a scribe for the Wizengamot who has a sister who married a muggle. I gave him a few extra galleons to have his brother-in-law run some errands. It's an unsavory connection, but he collaborates with the Bureau of Muggle Relations, so I guess it has its uses.'

Isadora was wondering how to ask about the blatant inconsistency between having a muggle run errands being 'unsavory' but keeping a muggle mistress being all right, when her father continued:

'But you shouldn't be using that machine, Isadora, you are a witch! You have better tools at your disposal. I understand witches will always prefer magically fitted robes to any other. I think it's very good of you to be thinking of a trade.'

'Of a trade?' her mother asked suddenly. 'You are talking of her bending at a workshop's table all day to please a sadist who'd rather your fingers fall off than have less than perfect buttonholes -' she sighed with fury, but then her tone changed drastically to a plea: '- That's what I used to do before I met you, and you know how unhappy I was! I don't want Izzie doing that. She deserves better, Arthur!'

'Is there anything else you'd like to do, Isadora?' her father asked in a tone that clearly conveyed he was asking just to please Janey.

'Actually, no,' Isadora confessed. 'I love making clothes. I _really_ don't want a Ministry job.'

'There you see, Janey,' he said. 'But there's no need for her to work as a dependent all her life... she'll have to apprentice for a few years, of course, but she could have her own establishment.'

Mother and daughter looked at each other with bright eyes.

'Her own establishment? And you would help her, Arthur?' Janey asked in a whisper.

'Certainly. It wouldn't be in London or Hogsmeade -it should be a small business in a smaller wizarding district- but it would be quite possible, yes.'

Isadora almost laughed of pure delight. All the doubts she had experienced were, for the moment, gone.

'And I assume you are thinking of leaving school after your OWLs, to start your apprenticeship as soon as possible,' her father said. Isadora gaped for a moment.

'I-I think it would be best, yes. That's what Professor Sprout told me.'

'It is settled, then,' her father said. 'I'll speak with Professor Slughorn and make sure Professor Sprout can get you the apprenticeship you want- go to her the first day of classes. You need to decide who you will be studying under.'

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

'Morning,' a boyish voice said. Isadora looked up from her breakfast to find a smiling Sirius across the nearly empty Hufflepuff table. He was kneeling on the sitting bench with his elbows on the table as if he was about to tell her a secret.

She looked around - there were a few teachers up in the High Table, and some Ravenclaw Quidditch players trying to stuff some toast into their mouths before being dragged off to early morning practice. It was a Saturday, thankfully, so it seemed that there were no Slytherin purebloods around.

'Morning,' she returned. Sirius smiled and took a piece of bacon from her plate.

'You've been seeing Andromeda, haven't you?' Sirius asked in a low voice.

'Who told you that?' Isadora asked nervously.

'My friend James. He said Andromeda spent Christmas at his house and he told her about you and Narcissa. She also said you were her friend,' Sirius said very quickly, and Isadora sighed with relief. 'Do you write to her?'

'Sometimes,' she confessed. 'Would you like me to pass some message along?' Sirius nodded enthusiastically.

'My parents made me swear not to send her any letters,' he explained. 'Can you tell her at least that, for now?'

'Can't you disobey them?' she asked in a mischievous tone, lowering her voice.

Sirius shook his head. 'I'd get blisters,' he said dismissively, to Isadora's shock. 'Can you tell her, please?'

'I'll even ask her if she knows the countercurse,' she promised. Sirius smiled. He had the same devilish-charm sort of smile their dad had.

'Do you like being a Gryffindor?' she asked him. Sirius retreated and sat on the bench.

'I do, but my family doesn't very much,' he said. 'Although they like that I'm friends with James, because his mother is my mother's aunt. I don't think they like each other, though. I had never met her before.'

'I'm sure they'll get used to it,' Isadora said, trying to assure him, but Sirius shook his head.

'I'm going to be the head of the family someday, so I was supposed to be in Slytherin. They say Gryffindor will corrupt me,' he said with perfect seriousness. Isadora was strongly reminded of Aaron's speech, when he gave her the slip. 'I hope it will.'

She didn't know whether to say that she hoped that too or what else, when somebody cleared her throat.

'Go back to your own table, Sirius, or I'll tell your parents you've been talking to Andromeda's friends,' Narcissa said in a commanding voice.

'I won't,' Sirius said rebelliously. 'You'll hit her with a Stinging Hex again.'

'With the High Table full of teachers?' she said. Isadora turned to look - McGonagall and Sprout were there, eyeing them all suspiciously. 'I just want to talk to her. In private.'

Isadora nodded to Sirius, and he walked off to his table with the air of a child who'd just been ordered to his room. Narcissa took his spot in front of her. She didn't have the predatory look she usually had when about to curse her, but Isadora couldn't imagine what she wanted to talk about.

'You've been seeing Andromeda, haven't you?' she asked.

'I don't know who told you that,' Isadora said coldly.

'Don't pretend,' Narcissa said with a disbelieving laugh. 'I believe the rumors. I've been watching you. Why would Andromeda become such good friends with you last year? You weren't a friend of her mudblood boy.'

Isadora's heart raced. An inquiry about Andromeda, she could have believed, but about her?

'I don't know what you're on about,' she said.

'I told you not to pretend. Don't tell me you don't know why you got cursed last term. I thought it was a lie, at first, to try and trap Aaron Smith,' Narcissa said, watching Isadora carefully. 'But then I watched you - you have my uncle Orion's little satisfied smile, and a bit of the Black drawl when you speak. Where else could you have picked that up?'

Isadora was speechless.

'Not to mention,' she continued, grabbing Isadora's hand to inspect the bracelet she was wearing, 'where would a mudblood like you get the money to buy wizarding jewelry? And not just any wizarding jewelry- this is a Garnet Mayer, my uncle bought me a set of hairpins by him for Christmas. Do you think he bought them the same day?'

Clearly, Narcissa wasn't reacting like Andromeda had, with sudden comprehension and respect for their familial bond. There was no telling what Narcissa would do with this information if it all came to light. What would her dad say?

'I want you to tell Andromeda to come back,' Narcissa said in a lower, desperate tone. 'Tell her to leave that mudblood scoundrel and come back to her family.'

She seemed to expect an answer, and Isadora struggled to think of one.

'I don't...'

'Please,' Narcissa interrupted her. It seemed that neither girl was expecting that. 'Make her,' she pleaded.

'I don't think she'll listen,' Isadora confessed.

'If she doesn't come back this summer, I'll make sure your sixth year is hell on earth,' Narcissa threatened. Isadora almost smiled.

'I have to go.' She got up, grabbed her things and left the Great Hall. In fifteen minutes, she had to travel by Floo to Gladrags Wizardwear and show Madam Michaela some of her work as a seamstress before she agreed to take her on as an apprentice in July.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

Isadora left school not sailing across the Black Lake in the same boat she had come into Hogwarts for the very first time, but on the carriages like the rest of her classmates, who were simply preparing for another summer at home, followed by another year at school. She had gotten her apprenticeship and she was starting in two weeks. To be fair, she wasn't the only one not coming back for the NEWTs. And her time at Hogwarts could have been better. But the last few months, Narcissa and her crowd had left her alone, and she and Sirius had gathered in empty classrooms and secluded corners to read Andromeda's letters. She had found that Sirius and her were very different- their upbringing so much so it was difficult to believe they shared the same father- but she had knowledge about the school and the teachers and a few useful jinxes to pass on. In turn, Sirius encouraged her to play a prank or two on the Slytherins who had made her life hell, which Isadora found terribly liberating. And now that she was going, it broke her heart to think that she might lose the half-brother whose company she'd begun to cherish, and what was more, she was missing out on the opportunity to meet Regulus.

At the very least, the last letter Andromeda had sent carried the most wonderful news; she was expecting a baby for the early days of March. Sirius and Isadora had celebrated together, and maybe, the Potters or his Uncle Alphard might take him to visit Andromeda and the baby once it was born. Maybe they'd bring Regulus sometime. She could only hope.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~


	2. Chapter 2: Girlhood

**(1973)**

A flash exploded on Isadora's face, and it upset the little colorful bundle she was holding. Nymphadora started to cry and her hair turned a furious shade of red that contrasted with the immaculate white baptism dress. Andromeda and Ted rushed to calm their little girl and took her from her flaming new godmother's arms. Isadora was relieved. She hoped she'd get better in the art of being around babies- she already loved Nymphadora dearly, but she was terrified of dropping her. Then again, Andromeda had confessed to her shortly after giving birth that she was terrified of dropping her too.

Ted's friend Chelsea, the photographer, was apologizing profusely to the screaming infant, and Ted's other friend, Jack, the godfather, took the camera from her and snapped a picture of the scene.

'Why do they need so many pictures, anyway?' Jack said. 'If I were them, I'd get one of the baby and one with everyone that came, and that'd be it.'

'Well, I heard Alphard offered to pay for Chelsea's services, so I suppose they're taking advantage of the gift,' Isadora said, grabbing a glass of cider from the refreshments' table. Jack sniggered.

'As a photographer, I meant!' she hastened to add once she realized the way Jack had interpreted her words.

'It was more interesting as I understood it,' he laughed.

'All right, she's happy again!' Chelsea said. 'Who's next?'

'Us!' Alphard said, interrupting his conversation with Great-Aunt Cassiopeia and grabbing her by the wrist to make her stand in front of the camera. Cassiopeia looked appalled for a moment and then proceeded to rearrange her hair. 'Come on, now, all of us loyal enough to come!'

Andromeda's family, who were the majority of people in attendance, started accommodating for the photograph. Cedrella and Septimus Weasley attempted to position themselves in the least prominent place they could find while Dorea Potter and her husband shepherded the boys, Sirius and James, who had been busy poking at the muggle record player.

'It's nice of Michael to lend this room to Andromeda and Ted,' Isadora told Jack. Michael was Jack's soon to be brother-in-law. The pub they were in was actually Michael's dad's, but it was him who had offered the room above for the evening.

'He's just trying to get on my good side,' Jack said. 'I'm sure my sister Anne put him up for it.'

'Come on, Isadora,' Andromeda called her from the mess of trying to make so many people fit in a single frame. 'You're the only one missing.'

Everyone looked at her, and Isadora felt her cheeks going red. Andromeda's face was determined but Ted was looking at her in horror. The Blacks were now looking at each other in confusion and Isadora searched for Sirius' reaction. He and James were whispering to each other and seemed oblivious.

'You deserve to be in the picture, Isadora,' Andromeda insisted. She looked around the room, searching for her mother, but Janey and Alice had just gone out for extra sandwiches and were not back yet.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for her to get into the frame, but she couldn't move. Jack grabbed her by the elbow and walked her to one of the sides of the group. There was another flash explosion and the group dispersed, although much quieter.

'Why did you do that?' Isadora asked Andromeda as soon as she thought it safe. Andromeda smiled and shrugged.

'I think it's about time you come out,' she said casually.

'Shouldn't you have asked her first?' Jack asked.

'I can't come out! It's not really my secret!' Isadora said taking care to lower her voice. Although Andromeda's family was now by the refreshments table talking amongst themselves, they kept sneaking glances at them, and Isadora had a horrible feeling that this could not be undone.

'But it is!' Andromeda insisted. 'It's who you are! Why do you care what Uncle Orion thinks? He shouldn't keep you a secret and you shouldn't humor him. You are part of this family.'

'What about what my mum thinks?' Isadora retorted. 'How's everyone going to look at her now if they find out what she is?'

Andromeda didn't seem to have thought of that and she was stunned for a moment.

'This was none of your business, Andromeda,' Ted said.

_'This is my business_!' she reacted. 'We are all hiding out and Confounding muggle priests who are not supposed to notice that my daughter's hair color changes because we couldn't risk the family finding out about the baptism. We need to expose Uncle Orion's hypocrisy! It's not fair on us and it's not fair on you, Isadora! Everyone here should know that you're his child and find out exactly what kind of wizard the man we are all hiding from is.'

Isadora was about to answer when Andromeda went pale looking right behind her. She turned around, hoping it wasn't her mother, but instead, she found Sirius, open-mouthed, a Beatles' record in his hands.

'Did you want to play that one?' Ted rushed to say, taking the record from Sirius' stunned hands, but it was too late. He'd heard. He stared at Isadora for a moment, while a betrayed look crept up his face and then he turned around and left the room.

'Here, take Nymphadora...' Andromeda started to say, but Isadora went after Sirius herself.

He hadn't gone far; he was just sitting on the steps of the entrance to the pub. There weren't that many people in the quiet Manchester alley the pub was on, so Isadora sat next to Sirius and endured the loudest silence of her life so far.

'Why didn't you tell me?' Sirius finally asked in an angry, accusing tone. 'We spent loads of time reading Andromeda's letters, why didn't you say anything?'

'Can you really blame me?' she said, trying to find the right sort of words. 'It's not the easiest of things to talk about.'

Sirius didn't answer. Isadora bit her lip, trying to find a better way to put her past actions and feelings in words. Her heart was beating fast. What if he got angry? What if he told Orion what he knew? Isadora didn't even want to imagine his anger.

'I was scared of how you would react,' she finally admitted. 'I liked being your friend. If I told you the truth, you might not want to be my friend anymore.'

'You are my sister,' Sirius said, his angry expression vanishing and his eyes wide open in aston-ishment. 'Why wouldn't I want to be your friend?'

She smiled, touched at the sentiment. Sirius was either too young or too decent to place im-portance on legitimacy, but she had expected him to be a little more shocked.

'Well... there's the little matter of how I came to be,' Isadora said carefully. He was a smart, precocious boy, but how much would he understand of the facts of life at play here?

'Oh, so your mother and my father...'

'Our father,' Isadora corrected.

'Right. Oh,' he said, looking embarrassed. 'But your mum's a muggle!'

'Yeah,' Isadora said. 'That's what has Andromeda so worked up.'

'He's a hypocrite!' Sirius said angrily. 'How did that even happen?'

'Uhm…' Isadora struggled to decide how much to say. He was definitely too young to hear the simplest of reasons; that muggle girls were easier, or at least perceived as such. 'They met in a nightclub' she started, and then decided to jump into it. 'My mum was pregnant with me a couple of months later.'

'But he always says muggles are like sheep' Sirius argued, looking extremely confused. It wasn't news to Isadora -Andromeda often said that was how they had all been raised-, but the implication always made her uncomfortable.

'I think he's lying. I hope he's lying' she confessed. 'I am sure he loves my mum.'

Sirius stared at her for a minute, the anger and the confusion mixing on his face.

'I don't mean he doesn't love your mum' Isadora rushed to say, although it was a giant lie. Sirius laughed bitterly.

'It is not news to me that my parents don't like each other' he said, surprising Isadora a little. 'So he's been lying all this years. But it's not fair!' he reacted, suddenly angry again. 'He won't let me write to Andromeda because she married a muggleborn, and he...'

'Yes, I know,' Isadora interrupted him. 'But please, don't tell him that you know. I need you to keep it to yourself.'

'I'm going to ask him what he really thinks' Sirius said confidently, to Isadora's horror.

'You can't' she begged him.

'Why?' he asked hotly.

'Because he doesn't know that I see Andromeda and if he finds out, he'll be terribly angry at me and my mum,' Isadora said.

'But maybe if I ask him- if we all ask him- and it turns out he doesn't mind muggles all that much, then things can change' Sirius said with a sudden smile and a hopeful face. A part of Isadora wanted to believe, and the other was afraid of finding out what Orion truly thought.

'I don't doubt dad thinks Andromeda did something wrong' she tried to explain. 'I don't doubt he really thinks purebloods should marry purebloods. When my mum got pregnant, your dad wasn't married yet. If deep down he thinks there's nothing wrong with it, why didn't he marry her?'

'Let's ask him' Sirius said with a cocky smile.

'Sirius, you have to understand that dad pays our rent, our clothes and our food,' Isadora said bluntly. 'If we upset him, I'm afraid we might go hungry or even end up on the street. Please, don't say anything to him that might make him suspect.'

At last, it seemed the seriousness of the situation shocked Sirius into understanding.

'It's not fair, though,' he said.

'Maybe it's not,' Isadora conceded. 'But it's really important for me and my mum that we don't upset him.'

Sirius nodded, defeated, and they finally went inside.

The party continued with no more incidents. It seemed to Isadora that Andromeda had actually requested everyone to pretend nothing had happened, although she did find herself being surrounded by Blacks doing all sorts of polite, half-interested inquiries about her apprenticeship and her Hogwarts career. At some point, Dorea Potter took Sirius aside and gave him a long lecture, and after that he went back to poking at the record player with his friend James.

When Alice and Janey came back with trays of sandwiches they noticed the odd change in the atmosphere, and Isadora wondered if she should break the news to her mum, and how. Andromeda even complained to Isadora's ear that Ted would accuse her with his mum after the party was over, and she was prepared for Alice's long lecture. Isadora was apparently expected to think that that was punishment enough. She thought about making her tell Janey, but she knew it wouldn't be fair to her mum. In the end, she decided to keep quiet. It wouldn't do to have both parents hate Andromeda.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

** (1974)**

It was quiet on the back alley on which the back entrance of Gladrags London was. Isadora waited for her boyfriend alongside Claire, an older and wiser apprentice, who was having a smoke while refusing to leave her muggleborn friend to wait by herself.

'There's no telling how cursed you might end up if a gang finds you all alone,' Claire was saying. 'My sister's boyfriend woke up in a ditch the other night!'

'Your sister's boyfriend won't stop criticizing the party on the newspaper,' Isadora retorted. 'Besides, I'm no stranger to that sort of thing. I ended up on the hospital wing once.'

'The real world is not Hogwarts, Izzie,' Claire said solemnly. Isadora agreed.

'At least school uniform season will end soon,' Claire said cheerfully. 'And then we'll get to do more interesting stuff.'

'I'll scream if I have to embroider another house crest,' Isadora sighed. 'I can't wait to do some proper witches' robes!'

'I'm sure you'll get your chance... '

'Jack!' Isadora exclaimed when she distinguished the figure of her boyfriend walking towards them. 'Finally! I was getting... what's that on your face?'

Jack tried to cover his cheek with his hand.

'Nothing important, Izzie,' he said, and kissed her. As soon as their lips parted, Isadora grabbed his chin and had a good look at the painful-looking graffiti spelled on his cheek. As she supposed, it said "mudblood".

'You've been branded!' Claire said.

'It's all right,' Jack said dismissively. 'It's nothing, really...'

'Don't say that, I know how much it stings,' Isadora said.

'How do you know?' Jack asked suspiciously. 'You've been branded, too?' Isadora nodded. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

'Because it's nothing important!' she mimicked him, and got her wand out. 'Andromeda taught me the spell to make it heal without scarring...'

'No, leave it!' Jack pushed Isadora's wand away. 'I'm not going to be ashamed!'

'If you go around displaying it, it'll only make matters worse,' Claire said.

'So they brand me, and then they can't deal with it?'

'Oh, they can deal with it, they'll use you as target practice,' Isadora said. 'I thought we were going to watch a film. You can't go into the muggle world like that!'

Jack nodded grudgingly.

'Tell you what,' Claire said. 'Walk me to the Leaky Cauldron, and you can let Izzie heal you before you go out into muggle London.'

'Fine,' he accepted. 'But we walk back through Diagon Alley.'

The walk to the Leaky Cauldron was full of mixed reactions to the graffiti on Jack's cheek. It was becoming a common sight, but people weren't afraid to show their opinions about it. Some seemed to think that it was something muggleborns did to themselves, and eyed them suspiciously as they walked by. Others were a little wiser and tut-tutted and stopped them to ask if they could help removing it. Isadora saw the Malfoy siblings looking smug behind the masks of shock and offense at the display of muggleborn pride.

They left Claire in the pub where she was meant to meet her sister and they went into the muggle world after Jack's branding was properly healed. Isadora felt a little freer once they'd left the oppressive atmosphere of the wizarding world behind.

'You do remember that you said you'll come to the zoo with me and Sirius next Saturday, don't you?' Isadora asked her boyfriend.

'Yeah, of course. I can't believe they never took the poor kid to the zoo,' Jack said, walking up Charing Cross Road on their way to Leicester Square. 'Is Alphard coming too?'

'Yes, he's the one sneaking him out of the house,' Isadora explained. 'It's easier than Sirius sneaking out by himself, anyway.'

'It's all right, I like Alphard,' Jack said. 'I'm not sure how he's related to you, though.'

'To be honest, I'm not sure either,' Isadora confessed with a laugh. 'I know he's the brother of Andromeda's father and Sirius' mother- you have to remember that my dad and Sirius' mum are not just married but also second cousins.'

'Bloody aristocrats,' Jack said, smiling.

'So really, Alphard, Cassiopeia and Dorea are all much closely related to Andromeda and Sirius than they are to me, but we are all part of the same family. I asked Andromeda for the details once, and she drew me a family tree. It didn't help.' They laughed again. 'Besides, I still can't match your sister's names to their faces. You saw more of my relatives than I saw of yours.'

'Well, that's because of Nymphadora,' he said. 'I see little of my sisters myself, so don't go around thinking I'm embarrassed of you or anything.'

Jack smiled with cheek and Isadora stopped walking and kissed him. Jack kissed her back enthusiastically, until she pushed him off.

'We'll be late for the film,' she chastised him, and Jack took a moment to consider before he relented and resumed his fast pace. 'Elizabeth is the eldest and the one with the little boy, and Harriet's the youngest...'

'You know Anne, who works at the pub, she's younger than me and older than Harriet' Jack continued. 'Mary's the pregnant one, and third eldest, and Marge's second and the nurse. Not hard.'

'It's a bit hard when I've only seen some of them once' Isadora complained. 'And I'm sure they can't stand the very sight of me. '

'Well, Harriet and Anne can't,' Jack admitted. 'But that's because they're my little sisters. Liz, Marge and Mary don't really care.'

Isadora bit back the urge to say that she wanted Jack's sisters to like her. They'd only been going out a few months, and she didn't want to seem too eager.

'What are we watching, anyway?' she said instead, once they were at the door of the Odeon.

'I wanted to see _The Black Windmill_, Ted and Andromeda watched it last week and said it was good,' Jack said. Isadora nodded in agreement. It had been her choice last week, and it wasn't like she really cared- they were hardly going to be paying attention to the screen.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

** (1975)**

Janey had been right- Madam Michaela was a sadist who cared more about perfect buttonholes than about apprentices' fingers, but done with magic, the work was a lot lighter than Isadora's mother often talked about. As any other apprentice she had been wasted on making school uniforms and cutting patterns for two years, until Bertha Jorkins, a girl from Isadora's dormitory back in Hufflepuff, had come in requesting one of Isadora's designs because she wanted to look fashionable for her first day at the Department of International Cooperation. Ever since then, Isadora's designs had been requested by most of the young girls working at the Ministry, and Madam Michaela had finally gotten her out of the atelier and onto the main shop. She recognized that Isadora had good ideas and Isadora recognized that her designs were much improved by Madam Michaela and some of the other senior employees, and she finally felt she was learning more about the trade apart from just mastering the practical skills.

However, that didn't mean she wasn't at the lowest of the pecking order of the main shop, so she was the one in charge of taking the measurements of all the clients, and taking hems up with pins - essentially all the boring work. And at that she was, putting pins on a Ministry girl's new work robes, when she heard familiar voices on the stall next to the one she was in.

'And my sister would like to see embroidment patterns for the train, too,' Narcissa's voice was saying.

'You may go through the fabrics we have available first, and I'll bring the patterns in a little while, if that's all right with you, Misses Black,' Madam Michaela said in the melodious voice she reserved for the wealthy clients.

'Perfectly all right, thank you,' Bellatrix said in an annoyed voice. Isadora flinched, and stuck a pin on her client's boot. She hadn't seen Bellatrix since she had left Hogwarts, and she really wasn't in any hurry to see her again. Had Narcissa told her about her parentage?

'Really, Bella, you could at least feign a bit more interest on your wedding robes,' Narcissa said once Madam Michaela left them alone in the stall.

'I couldn't care less about whether to use silk or muslin, Narcissa, I'd much rather leave all of this to you,' Bellatrix said. 'I'm just here because they need my measurements, otherwise I wouldn't even come.'

'You must have some measure of excitement, it's your wedding!' Narcissa insisted. 'I'd be over the Moon, if I were you.'

'I'm not a romantic, Narcissa, not like you and... And you know who,' Bellatrix finished with a slight stammer. Isadora's client looked at her in amazement.

'You-Know-Who is a romantic?' the girl said in a low voice, amused. 'Who'd have thought?'

'They mean their sister,' Isadora said in an impatient whisper. 'Now, shush, and let me listen,' she ordered, thinking that if she managed to hear who the groom was, she'd be the first to deliver Andromeda the gossip.

'But you must love Rod, don't you?' Narcissa asked. 'You wouldn't marry him otherwise, would you?'

'Of course I do,' Bellatrix said in an unsure voice. 'Or I will soon enough, at any rate. But the most important thing is that I must perform my duty as a pureblood woman and reproduce.'

'But you won't reproduce quite as much if you don't love your husband,' Narcissa said, as if she thought that Bellatrix needed explaining about the facts of life.

'I like Rodolphus as much as I could expect to like him!' Bellatrix said. 'He's got a perfectly clean lineage and we've been friends since school - that's all I could possibly want. _And_' Bellatrix droped her voice so low, Isadora had to stop moving just to listen. '…the Dark Lord approves of my choice, Narcissa, so it's decided.'

'You are not letting the Dark Lord decide who you'll be marrying, are you?' Narcissa asked exasperated, in a much louder voice. Isadora noticed that her client had gone very still.

'Keep your mouth shut, Narcissa, and your nose away from my business!' Bellatrix said, and as the sisters quarreled, Isadora's client got out of the stall with her hem half-done like a spooked cat.

'I-I need to leave, it's getting late and my lunch hour is almost up and Mr. Noll will be upset with me if I'm late again, so I'll come back another time, really...'

'Miss Hudson, you are supposed to leave those robes with us...' Isadora started saying, when Madam Michaela caught the girl in the middle of her flight.

'Did Miss Black pinch you?' she asked. 'Forgive her, dear, she's new. Why don't you go back in and I'll get a more experienced girl to finish this...?'

The name had brought the other Misses Black out of the stall and Isadora's heart raced when she saw the expressions in Narcissa and Bellatrix's faces.

'What is the meaning of this?' Bellatrix said in the same unpleasant tone Isadora had gotten used to as a first and second year at school. 'I didn't know this was the sort of establishment that employed mudbloods.'

Madam Michaela was stunned and Isadora's cheeks grew hot.

'And not only a mudblood, but also the same girl who used to spread vicious lies about her parentage at school,' Bellatrix continued. 'Didn't you know, Madam Michaela, that this girl tarnishes my uncle's reputation by saying that he's where she got the name from?'

'That's not true!' Isadora said hotly, as a fellow employee held her back.

'I did not know that,' Madam Michaela said feebly.

'This is not the sort of employee you want in your business,' Bellatrix said. 'I will never shop here again as long as this girl works here.'

'That's not fair!' reacted Lucy, Isadora's co-worker.

'Shush, Lucy,' Madam Michaela said, pale and nervous. Her eyes went back and forth between Isadora and the sisters, like trying to decide. Isadora was too stunned to say anything- surely, Madam Michaela wouldn't...? She couldn't dismiss her, end her career, just because of Bellatrix!

'Remember I am getting married, Madam Michaela,' Bellatrix said. 'That means my wedding robes, my sister's bridesmaid's robes, my mother and my aunts- we will all shop here. And we trust Narcissa won't stay single for long- imagine your losses, just for keeping this girl.'

'You can't do this!' Isadora cried. 'It's not my fault - none of it is my fault...!'

She stopped, before she went on babbling incoherently. She wouldn't beg, she wouldn't give Bellatrix the satisfaction, but she also couldn't explain herself. She was terrified of both Bellatrix and her Dark Lord, but was she so scared as to give up her dream and livelihood?

'And make no mistake, all our friends and relations will hear about the sort of people you employ, and your business will be regarded lowly by the party...'

'SHUT UP!' Isadora exclaimed, taking her wand out. 'I won't let you do this to me, I won't!'

She didn't have time to even throw the simplest of jinxes at her, because Bellatrix's eyes lit up with a fire Isadora thought she'd never seen, and her wand was out in a blink. Lucy pushed her aside and, to Isadora's amazement, Narcissa shielded her with her own body.

'Let's go, Bellatrix, there's no need for you to end up talking to Aurors just because of a mudblood,' she said nervously, doing her best to push her sister in the direction of the door.

'Well, I simply cannot abide this sort of behavior in an employee, so make no mistake Isadora will be dismissed immediately,' Madam Michaela said, going after the Black sisters. 'Please come back tomorrow, and we will have the best of the fabrics and embroidments the wizarding world has ever seen for you, and for the best price, too!'

Isadora fell on her knees, crying, as Lucy held her and everyone else in the shop stared at them. The girl she'd been measuring and marking the hem was stammering apologies and blaming herself for everything that had happened, but Isadora knew now that Bellatrix knew who she was and as long as Orion Black kept her apart, Bellatrix wouldn't miss a chance to cast her out of the wizarding world.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

'You have to do something this time, Arthur!' Janey said to Orion, after Isadora told him- with the appropriate editing- that Bellatrix had gotten her dismissed. 'That girl can't just do what she pleases like she owns the world! This is your _daughter_.'

'Do you think I don't know that, you foolish woman?' Orion said. 'I know this is my daughter, I just should never have given her my own name. I apologize for your troubles, Isadora.'

'That's no good,' Isadora complained. 'I'm out of a job. I've been showing my work everywhere else, but no one wants to take me on, because no one wants to upset Miss Black or The Party' she said with an ironic emphasis.

'Can't you just tell her to go to Madam Michaela and make her take Izzie back?' Janey asked.

'Of course I cannot do that!' Orion flustered.

'Why not? You don't have to tell her she's your daughter - just that you heard about it and feel sorry for the girl!'

'He can't do that, mum,' Isadora said. 'You don't know what purebloods are like,' she added with certain venom. Her father, however, approved of her statement.

'Exactly, Janey, you don't know what our society is like,' he said. 'There is no question of speaking with Bellatrix. If you feel reasonably sure that you can keep your own establishment after your three years of study, we just need to find a proper space for it. It might be a bit sooner than you expected, but if you think you can handle it...'

'She can handle it,' Janey said quickly. 'I can help with the non-magical stuff, keeping the books and running errands. And she already has a business idea...'

'Do you, now?' he said pleasantly surprised.

'I... I had success with working robes for witches. I want to do fun and affordable everyday work and office wear for young witches and wizards. I can't do the high end stuff, so I'm going to leave it aside and focus on what I do best,' she said nervously. Janey frowned and was about to add something, but a look from her daughter silenced her.

Orion was smiling.

'I like it. You have a good head. And it's unlikely any of my nieces will ever want to shop in such a place,' Orion rose from his chair. 'I'll ask my goblin to look into small shops in small wizarding areas. Any preferences, Isadora?'

'Manchester,' she said quickly. 'There are only two wizarding clothing shops in Waiveplace Way.'

Orion nodded and said goodbye before he left. Isadora didn't know whether to scream at him that this could not go on, that something had to be done about Bellatrix and Narcissa, or just thank him for solving all her problems.

'Why didn't you tell him about your idea?' Janey asked. 'About using muggle fabrics to reduce costs and introduce new fashions...'

'Because,' she repeated, 'you don't know what purebloods are like.'

The idea had been praised by Jack, Andromeda and Ted, but Andromeda had warned her not to tell Orion about that bit and Jack worried that the idea was more a political statement than about fashion. Isadora herself wondered if she was doing it because she believed in the idea or because she wanted to get back at Bellatrix and put a little mudblood on people's clothes.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

It took Isadora three months to build up a stock of clothes by herself. On the week she finally opened, Bertha Jorkins and a few other Ministry girls who had been enthusiasts of Isadora's designs wore some of her new outfits and talked about the new shop in Waiveplace Way incessantly. On the first day, she got so many visitors and impulse buyers that it wasn't enough recruiting her mother's help- her friend Cathy from school and even Andromeda had to come, although the latter hid herself in the back shop doing the books and keeping inventories. A girl who had been a couple of years above Isadora at Hogwarts, and who remembered her as a girl who'd always been patching up a school robe or sewing a new cloak in a corner of the Hufflepuff common room, interviewed her for a small fashion column in Witch Weekly, in which Isadora explained her ideas of using muggle fabrics and creating fashionable clothes to wear to work.

After reading it, Andromeda predicted what happened a few days after the magazine was out. She had only been open for a month and the initial hype seemed to finally be calming down, when she walked into her shop from the inside Floo Connection to find a small crowd gathered outside. She was surprised when she realized that the crowd was comprised by the other local shopkeepers, until she realized she was looking at them through a window display that had been graffitied on.

She walked out into the street as her neighbors commented on what a terrible thing it was, and then she saw it. The exterior of her shop had been heavily vandalized. The word 'mudblood' was written all over her front, sometimes with paint and sometimes scratched on the wood. The sign had been broken and there was a scorch mark where her own name had previously been.

'We tried calling the Aurors, dear,' Mrs. Faber from the shop across the street said. She and her husband lived in a flat above their apothecary. 'But they left quickly and they didn't do much damage. We are willing to testify if you want to call them now.'

'Don't worry, Mrs. Faber, I'll get this back to how it was in no time,' Isadora said feebly. Her neighbors were elderly, and she wouldn't want them to be targeted next.

Anger and frustration seemed to fill her as she looked at what they'd done. It was the story of her life in the wizarding world. Purebloods treated her like dirt and she was too scared to do anything about it. She was starting to think that something should be done.

'Well, I think it would be pointless, really,' Andromeda said a couple hours later, when she and Isadora were hard at work trying to repair the damage with the help of a few other shop workers from the street. Passers-by kept stopping to watch and tut-tutted and tsk'd, some even brought cups of tea over, as it was cold. 'I heard on the radio that there were other five vandalized shops across Britain, and I think you got off lightly. It's retribution for how badly the party performed last election.'

'As if this was going to be bringing voters over,' Isadora said.

'It's a wonder they couldn't get inside. Your security must be quite good,' Andromeda commented.

'Dad cast the spells himself,' Isadora explained in a low voice.

'Right. Yes, well, everyone thinks Aunt Walburga is the paranoid one, but Uncle Orion is the one who can cast security barriers that might even be better than those of the Ministry itself,' Andromeda said. 'He must be sacrificing muggle children or something like that.'

Isadora laughed.

'I promise it was just wand-waving,' she assured her cousin. 'Though there was a sort of potion now that you mention it... and I think it did look like blood...'

'I'm sure it was animal blood,' Andromeda said quickly, amused at Isadora's fake shock.

'You won't tell Jack or Ted, will you?' she asked, suddenly serious. Andromeda shook her head.

'Of course not. They'd get all worked up and start talking about retribution and contacting Mudbloods United or whatever other muggleborn gang,' she said. 'The ones who do the Dark Lord's dirty work know how to keep themselves out of Azkaban- half of them have relatives on the Wizengamot. Muggleborns don't,' she sighed. 'And I'd rather my husband remained with me, helping me raise our daughter.'

'I'm going to have to order a brand new sign,' Isadora lamented, looking at the scorch mark.

'That must be exactly what my name must look like in our family tree, now,' Andromeda said in a casual voice. 'This has Bellatrix written all over it.'

'You can't possibly know that,' Isadora said reluctantly.

'I know my sister's hand-writing. Half of these were done by her, and I think the other one was Rabastan Lestrange. He always lent me his Transfiguration notes back at school,' Andromeda sighed again. 'Are you going to tell Uncle Orion?'

'I don't know.' Isadora stopped trying to Vanish a "dirty muggle lover" graffiti on the door for a moment. 'Did you hear him on the wireless last night?'

'I did,' Andromeda said carefully. 'Did your mum hear it?'

'Of course not, I heard it when I was working here,' she said, resuming her work. 'It was awful. I don't want her hearing that.'

'I thought it would do her good,' Andromeda said casually.

Andromeda's tone bothered Isadora, although she was right. Isadora didn't want her mum's dreams of perfect Arthur turning into nothing, but it was high handed of her to keep her in the dark deliberately.

'Anyway, I gain nothing accusing Bellatrix with Orion. He won't tell her to stop and he won't stop campaigning for the party. He'll just pay for the repairs and buy me something pretty,' Isadora sighed.

'But if he tells people you are his daughter, you will be recognized as a half-blood. Bellatrix might have a personal problem with you, but nobody will brand you mudblood on the street or put your shop on the list to vandalize,' Andromeda said.

'So I'll be a half-blood who has a mudblood boyfriend, is friends with blood traitors and sells mudblood clothes,' Isadora said. 'I'll still be a target.'

'You don't see anyone branding me or my husband in the street,' Andromeda said. Isadora had, in fact, wondered about that. 'The name does inspire some respect, you know? Even on the fallen ones like me.'

'It would be a huge scandal.' Isadora imagined it. Janey and she would have the press all over themselves. 'Forget it. I don't want to be the half-blood poster child that symbolizes the fall of the purity standards of the House of Black.'

Andromeda laughed almost hysterically.

'It would be a dream come true. Too perfect,' she said.

Isadora couldn't keep herself from wondering about it the next few weeks, even though she knew she would never have the balls to do something like that. She really didn't want to acquire any sort of notoriety- in fact, she didn't want to be publicly involved with the man she'd heard on the WWN last night. Orion had delivered a terribly hateful speech from his Wizengamot seat about the lack of liberties the purebloods now had- and by that he meant how regrettable it was that purebloods couldn't control the blood status of those elected on half of the Wizengamot seats. By her own father's standards, she could never seat on the Wizengamot on account on having a muggle mother and neither could Andromeda on account on being married to a muggleborn.

And after delivering that speech, he'd come home to Janey and spent the night with her. Isadora just couldn't connect the man who might have even spawned the sentiment that had led to the vandalizing of her shop with the man who had praised her muggle lover's French toasts that morning.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

** (1976)**

'It's getting too difficult to keep all this secrets up,' Janey said, sitting in front of the young couple. Isadora and Jack were about to have tea with Janey and Orion for the first time.

'It's not difficult,' Isadora insisted. 'Jack and I met at Hogwarts. We saw each other again at Cathy's brother's birthday party -which we did- and we started seeing each other.'

'As long as we don't mention the Tonkses...' Jack shrugged.

'Arthur always wants the oddest details...' Janey moved uncomfortably in her chair. 'I'm so sick of making up lies to explain where you went off that day, and who did I went out with that other day... we are getting so involved with the Tonkses and the other relatives, spending all the holidays together, it gets difficult to not talk about them.'

'I know, mum, I'm sorry,' Isadora said sadly.

'The other day he was talking about Alphard and I had to stop myself from nodding along and telling him about Alphard dancing to the Beatles last New Year's,' Janey said. 'It would have been our very ruin.'

'Are you sure you can't tell him at all?' Jack asked tactfully.

'No,' Janey and Isadora said in a chorus. 'He was very terminating when he prohibited me from ever seeing Andromeda again, imagine if he knew that we've met Sirius,' Isadora sighed.

'There's too much at risk, Jack,' Jane said with a seriousness that wasn't usual in her, and then there was an Apparition sound, and Orion walked into the house. He greeted Janey warmly and then he turned to his daughter and her boyfriend with a stern. Jack cleared his throat and extended his hand. Orion stared at it.

'This is Jack Gallagher, Dad,' Isadora said nervously. 'We've been seeing each other for two years, now.'

Orion didn't make the effort to shake his hand, but he saluted Jack with an inclination of the head.

'I understand you are a... muggleborn,' he said, marking the last word with emphasis, as if to bring attention to the fact that he had not used the word mudblood. Jack withdrew his hand and stood defiantly.

'I am, sir. I understand you are somewhat partial to muggles,' he said, smiling at Janey. Orion seemed taken aback.

'Yes, he is!' Janey said with a smile. 'I knew this wouldn't be so terrible. Why don't you all sit down while I get the chicken?'

They did, and Isadora felt her heart pounding in her ears. The way Orion was staring at Jack reminded her very strongly of the way Bellatrix used to stare at her and for the first time she wondered whether she was sitting to the table with Arthur her dad or Orion Arcturus, the heir of the House of Black.

Janey was back from the kitchen with their food almost immediately. They had a bit of unsubstantial chatter about things Janey had done during the week and how Isadora's business was going, and then Orion asked Jack what he did.

'I work casting and enchanting cauldrons,' he said.

'And what did your father do?' Orion asked, unimpressed.

'He and my mother work at a cotton mill,' Jack said. 'I come from a working family.'

'A muggle working family, it is very obvious,' Orion answered. 'Did you not complete your NEWTs?'

'I did, sir.'

'Then how come you are doing menial work, casting cauldrons?' he said honestly surprised.

'There are some that think us muggleborns are not suited for any higher jobs,' Jack said coldly. 'Besides, I think that unless you are bending your back, you are not working at all. I'd much rather cast cauldrons than warm a seat all day.'

Isadora and Janey looked at each other, holding their breath. Orion had always been defensive of his Wizengamot seat. But much to the women's surprise, he smiled.

'Yes, I can see how you might think that,' he said with a condescending smile. Jack was about to answer the slight, but Isadora put her hand on his knee and begged him to let it go with a look. He didn't seem happy, but he kept quiet.

'For all your moaning about not wanting Isadora to bend her back and be stuck working for a sadist seamstress the rest of her life, you don't seem to mind that she's been walking out with a laborer,' Arthur told Janey once Isadora and Jack were gone.

'Oh, it's not like they're engaged, dear,' Janey said dismissively.

'Two years is a long time for a couple not to become serious in any way,' he responded, taking his pipe out from his pocket.

'That's how young people are, these days.' Janey carried two cups of coffee to the table. 'Besides, Jack's a good lad. I know he has ideas - he's a very serious socialist - but he's smart and I trust he'll get himself better jobs once he has a family to support.'

'It is odd for men of his background to find much better jobs,' Arthur said darkly. 'I must admit I am concerned.'

Janey bit her lip before sipping her coffee.

'Oh, well, but what can I do?' she said. 'For all the world knows, Izzie has the very same background,' she added accusingly.

'It's true' he admitted. 'I'm not saying it's a bad match.' He took a long smoke and exhaled. 'It's just fatherly concern, Janey. What if this Jack doesn't get himself better jobs? What if, for all his intelligence, he spends the rest of his life casting cauldrons and receiving barely a few galleons in exchange for it? What if Isadora's business should struggle? His family won't be able to provide for them...'

'I have to admit, I would have been happier if she had chosen a man in a better position, but the heart does as the heart will' Janey said. 'Besides, if they really need help, there's you, Arthur.'

'I might not be around forever, Janey,' Arthur said gravely. 'I've made provisions for you and Isadora, but I'd be so much more comforted if I could see Isadora being well taken care of.'

'You are so thoughtful, Arthur,' Janey sighed, and put her hand on his. Orion smiled, satisfied.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

'I assume you've heard what happened yesterday,' Janey said in a grievous tone when Isadora arrived home. She looked at her mother in surprise.

'Hello, dear, how've you been?' she said mimicking her mother's usual cheerful tone. 'Working hard, I suppose, I haven't seen you in two days!'

'Don't try to fool me, Isadora, I know you have been spending the nights with Jack_,_' Jane said with her hands on her hips. 'But we'll talk about that later. Now, have you heard?'

'About Sirius leaving home? Yes, Andromeda Apparated to Manchester as soon as she heard and made us all go to the Potters' to celebrate. Dorea wasn't happy.' Isadora let herself fall on the sofa. 'How did you hear about it?'

'You've been _celebrating_? I had to spend the night comforting your father, that's how I found out!' Janey said, fuming. 'He was in a right state. He told me about all the ugly things Sirius said...'

'What about all the ugly things dad says?' Isadora retorted, getting angry herself. 'Sirius was tired of hearing them going on and on about exterminating muggleborns...'

'Arthur said that Sirius' had his head filled with liberal ideas by the Potters' son and he became so violent about them he walked out on his own family!'

'How can you say that?' Isadora asked in a rage. 'You've met the Potters, they've been nothing but kind to you and me and the Tonkses. You know they are good people!'

'Then how dare they give refuge to a runaway child? They should have brought him back to his parents...!'

'Oh, they even tried,' Isadora said. 'Dorea and Charlus told him he shouldn't be so radical, but Sirius was tired of watching his family being dragged to the Dark Lord's side.'

'Don't be ridiculous!' Janey said. 'Arthur's been with the party, but he's even thinking about voting favorably to ban them from politics next week. He's not a terrorist!'

'But they're happy to let Bellatrix be! They think her a heroine,' Isadora said. 'He's never been against violence towards muggleborn _children_, he was happy to let the girls curse and hex me and other kids!'

'Don't exaggerate, Isadora, it wasn't _violence_...'

'Have you forgotten, already? There was a time when you even threatened to stop seeing him unless the bullying stopped!'

'I never meant that, it was an empty threat and he knew it,' Janey said dismissively. 'A silly matter like that is not enough to break up a family and neither should politics.'

'It's not just about politics!' Isadora insisted. 'It's about Orion Black voting to lowering the penance for murdering muggles because it's not as serious a crime and then coming to take comfort from his muggle mistress! He's a fucking hypocrite and it's about time that you know about it!'

Isadora saw the hand coming, but a part of her thought she deserved the slap her mother gave her.

'You don't know _anything_ about your father,' Janey said trembling. 'You don't know the things he has to put up with, from his father and his wife,' she practically spat the word, 'and he shouldn't have to put up with his son, too.'

'I'll be sleeping at the shop from now on,' Isadora said coldly, and gathered her things to leave.

'I hope you remember who paid for that shop,' Jane said with a low angry tone before Isadora left.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

There was a knock on the back door, and Isadora went to it carefully, peeking through the invisible little peephole. When she saw who it was, she panicked and looked at the little girl with blue pigtails peacefully sleeping in the Conjured armchair beside her worktable. It was too late now, she'd have to open the door. He would finally find out. A wave of courage suddenly flew through her; if Sirius could do it, why not her? Surely now that she wasn't living with her mother anymore, he wouldn't hold Janey responsible. She didn't have to tell him Janey was just as involved.

'Hello, dad,' she said letting him in. He stepped into the atelier with his usual half smile.

'I've come to see how your business is doing. I heard from my wife that there was shortage of a certain type of silk and that all clothing shops were suffering,' he said.

'How kind of you,' Isadora answered. 'But my usual clients don't buy much silk, so I'll be fine. Cup of tea?'

Nymphadora stirred in her sleep, her bright blue hair became a soothing shade of lilac, and she made a bubbly sound. Orion Black turned to the armchair and arched an eyebrow to the sight of the little girl.

'Are you babysitting for one of your neighbors?' he asked.

She could have said yes, but she didn't. It was time to face the consequences.

'That's Nymphadora, Andromeda's girl. Ted's mum had to go to the doctor and they asked me to take care of her this afternoon.'

Orion's face transformed into the coldest frown Isadora ever saw. Isadora's heart started beating fast.

'I told you to stay away from her,' he whispered furiously. 'How long have you been seeing her against my wishes?'

'Ever since she finished Hogwarts,' Isadora confessed. 'She likes having family around!'

'Family! You mean she knows!' he exclaimed, with a terrible air of betrayal. Nymphadora stirred again and opened her eyes, confused. When she saw Orion's angry face, she reached for her godmother, who picked her up.

'She figured it out herself during her seventh year,' Isadora tried to explain, letting the frightened Nymphadora hide her face in her neck, and grabbing her wand to cast a charm Andromeda had shown her to make her oblivious to the adults' conversation. 'She hasn't said anything, so what's the harm in me seeing her?'

'She's not of this family!' he yelled.

'I'm not of that family!' she retorted, and the question she had been burning to ask all this years, the question everyone had wanted to ask, was out of her lips before she could think twice: 'Why is it so wrong for her marrying a muggleborn but all right for you to raise a child with a muggle?'

'I didn't marry her, you foolish child!' he answered. 'Muggles and mudbloods are not for marrying!'

'They are for fucking, then?' Isadora said in a fit of fury. Her bluntness seemed to shock Orion into a short silence.

'Yes,' he finally answered. 'If your mother hadn't gotten pregnant with my half-blood child, she wouldn't have seen me for long.'

She took a step back, horrified, feeling like she's just gotten a slap when moments ago she had fancied herself the one giving it.

'You always told her you loved her.'

'I love my cat, too,' he said cruelly. Isadora had to grab a chair and take a seat- she felt herself swooning.

'Is that what we are to you? Pets?' she asked in a whisper.

'Not you. You are my blood- tainted blood, but mine all the same,' he said in a calmer tone, the ice gone from his voice, but a coldness remained. 'If your business is going well, I have nothing else to do here. Good day to you.'

He grabbed the door knob and exited, slamming the door behind him.

'Who was the angry man?' Nymphadora asked, finally coming out of her hiding place between Isadora's ear and shoulder. Her hair had turned a mousy shade of brown.

'Nobody important, dear,' Isadora answered, trying to push the little girl's head back where it was, so she would not see the tears she couldn't stop flowing from her eyes.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~


	3. Chapter 3: Womanhood

**(1977)**

When Isadora looked at her reflection on the mirror on the day of her wedding, she was surprised. She had always considered herself plain, and her mother and father had not been above saying so. Her strawberry blonde hair matched her freckled face exactly, and her mother's small, almond shaped eyes looked too small when contrasted with her father's strong jawline and big mouth. She wasn't ugly, not at all, but Janey was very pretty and had been quite beautiful at her age, and Orion had always been handsome. One would have expected their daughter to be a beauty. Today, she was.

Alice had worked tirelessly at her hair and Cathy, who was also a bridesmaid, had done her amazing make up. She'd done the dress herself with help from Janey and she thought it was equal to any wedding dress sold at Gladrags.

'You look lovely, dear,' Janey said with tears in her eyes. 'More than I could have ever imagined.'

'Thank you, mum,' she said. Her mother embraced her, taking care not to mess up the bride's hair or her own enormous hat, and she whispered:

'I think your father will come to give you away.'

Isadora smiled indulgently. She didn't believe it possible.

They were at Elizabeth's, Jack's eldest sister. She was already in the church with her children, but her husband was going to be driving Isadora and Janey. Andromeda, her matron of honor, would Apparate Alice, and Sirius, who would be the one giving her away, would Apparate Cathy. Nymphadora, one of the flower girls, would ride in the car with them.

'I think you are all set, Izzie,' Alice said, and embraced her too. 'We don't want to be late, do we?'

They went out of Elizabeth and Peter's bedroom into the parlor, where the men were waiting with little Nymphadora, who had a huge hat on to hide her color-changing hair. After the appropriate compliments they went into the street and made for the church.

There seemed to be a great mess of people to organize when she got to the church. Elizabeth and Peter's eldest son David was part of the bridal party, and so was Mary's daughter Emma. Isadora wasn't sure it had been a great idea to force the three children to walk orderly and silently to an altar, but Elizabeth, Mary and Andromeda had been so excited, Isadora couldn't possibly say no. Anne had thought her one-year-old Susan would be able to join them but thankfully, she hadn't learned to walk properly in time for the wedding. Alice took charge and banished Elizabeth, Peter and Mary inside. Andromeda was ordering the children when Janey squeed excitedly.

'He came! Arthur came, Izzie! Oh, I knew he would!'

Isadora was stunned speechless for a moment, and then turned to Sirius, who was already holding her arm.

'You are going to have to go inside, I'm sorry.'

'I know,' he said, annoyed but understanding, and went into the church before Orion was close enough to see him. Andromeda was stiff and gave Isadora a look of panic.

'Arthur, you came, I'm so happy,' Janey said, embracing him. 'I'm supposed to be inside!' she said, and entered the church quickly.

Orion looked serious and was impeccably dressed on the richest formal robes Isadora had ever seen. He didn't say anything and ignored Andromeda completely; he simply positioned himself beside Isadora and offered her his arm.

'I'm only tolerating this for her sake' Isadora said, trying to keep her voice cool and calm, and feeling like she was about to utterly fail.

'You are my daughter and it's your wedding' Orion said calmly. 'You are angry at me now, but some say we will be reconciled, and we would regret not sharing this moment.'

Isadora didn't feel reconciliation was possible. It had been hard enough to keep Orion's words from her mother, but the only reason she'd been able to establish a relationship with her mother again had been a promise to not speak about Orion.

Nonetheless, a part of her was touched. Maybe in the future he could change. Coming to her wedding was already a big gesture.

Andromeda reorganized the children one last time, Cathy lifted Isadora's train from the floor, and finally the double gates of the church opened to the first notes of the nuptial march.

Isadora's eyes first focused on Jack, who seemed delighted to see her. She saw the rest of the people in attendance a moment later, and that was when she realized that Orion not only was attracting the Gallaghers' amused looks because of his attire. On the bride's side were the Potters, with whom Sirius was sitting, the Weasleys, Cassiopeia and Alphard. They were all looking at him with extreme surprise and even some embarrassment. Isadora felt slightly sick. She had thought, but she hadn't known they would all be there. Orion stopped walking for a moment when Alphard gave him a little smirk and then walked faster to the altar, forcing Isadora to speed up her step, leaving Andromeda and the children far behind. When they got to Jack and he gave her away, he said quite loudly:

'I've been humiliated long enough,' and walked out of the church stomping his feet. Everyone stared open-mouthed, and then Janey went behind him.

'Arthur, wait!' they heard her yell. 'Don't leave like this, please, stay!'

They couldn't make out everything Orion said, but the words 'humiliation' and 'ungrateful' were heard distinctively. Strangely, Isadora could sympathize.

'Should we go apologize?' Alphard proposed in a low voice that was nevertheless heard by everyone.

'I think we've intruded enough,' Andromeda said, looking guilty. Isadora was sure she was to blame for the presence of the family, which hadn't really been in her plans.

'Are you sure, Isadora?' Dorea asked. 'I'm quite used to mediating between Orion and other people at the Wizengamot...'

'Andromeda is right,' Isadora said firmly. Her parents' relationship was finally in the open for everyone to see and judge. She had forced her mother to deal with that years ago, but she didn't doubt that Orion saw this as a humiliation especially orchestrated for him. 'It's a matter of pride and my father is quite attached to it. Any mediation of the family would only make it worse. We should get on with the wedding.'

She tried to fix her eyes on the priest, who was looking at everyone rather surprised. Jack took her hand and squeezed it to make her look at him.

'Are you sure?' he asked. 'We can wait...'

'No we can't! It's a wedding!' Isadora said trying to control the outburst of tears she felt coming. The priest shook his head and began with the ceremony.

Janey and Orion's raised voices were heard throughout the whole of the service. Jack's father attempted to break it up, but had come back in looking flustered and angry. Jack's brothers-in-law had gone out next and succeeded on making them lower their voices, but some insults still made their way between hymns. When the priest asked who had come to deliver that woman, Sirius had stepped up, and then Ted handed Jack the rings and ten minutes later they were married. They were turning around to leave the church when Janey came back in, crying that her lover of twenty years had left her, and to top it all, she'd missed her daughter's wedding.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

_'The explosion didn't damage the building significantly, as the Leaky Cauldron has old magical defenses most experts can only theorize about,'_ the newsreader's voice was saying through the WWN. _'But it was large enough to kill three muggle passers-by and one young muggleborn wizard coming in with his mother.'_

_'Terrible thing, Harold,' _the other, older newsreader said_. 'And at this time of the year, too, there could have been many more muggleborn children coming in for their school supplies.'_

_'This was undoubtedly their idea, Archibald,' _Harold responded_. 'But they could've caught even wizard-born children in the explosion, too. Pure evil, that's what it is.'_

_'Indeed, Harold. Albus Dumbledore has announced that there will be a memorial ceremony on the Welcoming Feast to honor young Daniel Ford, a third year Hufflepuff.'_

Isadora changed the station with a flick of her wand, and settled for some cheery music. She'd already heard all about the past day's explosion outside the Leaky Cauldron and about the poor dead boy. Jack, Ted and Chelsea had gone to a vigil and a protest for the kid's death. The story was horrible enough to warrant it, but having been a muggleborn and a Hufflepuff, it'd touched them personally. Isadora was plain-old scared and had stayed minding the shop- Andromeda had come over with Nymphadora and was insufferably anxious until the other three had returned safely.

Isadora was thinking about closing early- it was a slow day, since people were afraid to roam the streets, and the few who were out and about were buying essentials, not clothes. Jack would be in soon, too.

But then she heard the bell, and abandoned the patterns she was working on to greet whoever was braving Death Eater attacks to buy clothes. She stopped on her tracks when she saw who it was. She had never actually seen him properly- maybe caught a glimpse once or twice on the street, and certainly not in recent years. But he had Sirius' hair and their father's eyes, though he was slighter and smaller, and, like Isadora, not as handsome as their brother.

'Evening,' Regulus said, in Orion's haughty manner. 'I, ehm... I am looking for a present for my cousin. If you'd be so kind.'

Isadora stared. She couldn't imagine why in the world Regulus would come into her shop and make up such a terrible lie.

'May I ask what your cousin is like? So I can offer you something appropriate?' she finally said, deciding to indulge on his game.

'She's, er... She likes girly things,' he finished lamely. Isadora smiled at him.

She looked around for something Narcissa would like (she had trouble imagining that anyone would describe Bellatrix as a woman who liked girly things). Her eyes stopped on a pile of beautiful scarves an old, freed house-elf knitted to support herself. Isadora often gave her more than what her clients paid for them- Old Minnie's scarves were so exquisite she could probably sell them for a lot more at places like Gladrags or Madam Malkins, but she refused. Isadora selected a pale blue one and presented it to Regulus.

'Isn't this one perfect for Narcissa?' she said. Regulus took a step back and looked at her with anger.

'So you know who I am?' he said bluntly.

'I do,' she said. 'Do you know who I am?'

'Yes,' he answered. 'You are my father's bastard.'

For the first time, the word stung. Isadora went behind the counter and looked for some wrapping paper to put the scarf in.

'You are, aren't you?' Regulus insisted.

'I am,' she said, avoiding his eyes. 'Why did you come here, Regulus?'

'I wanted to see if it was true,' he said. He didn't seem to be taking it well.

'You've only just found out,' Isadora theorized.

'Bellatrix had to tell me,' he said. 'Apparently, everyone's known for years and years, but nobody bothered to tell me.'

'To be fair, everyone found out on their own- I'm not sure how Bellatrix knew- and the secret belongs to our father, so...'

'Don't call him that!'

Isadora looked up from the package she was making.

'Our father?' she asked.

'SHUT UP!' Regulus yelled, and took his wand out and pointed it at Isadora. She put her hands in the air.

'I don't know what Bellatrix's been telling you, she isn't exactly my biggest fan, but...'

'She told me the truth,' he said passionately. 'She told me how you helped that scoundrel Tonks to convince Andromeda to leave us and then you convinced Sirius to leave too...'

'That's really not true,' Isadora assured him, wondering why she'd put her hands in the air at all- now she couldn't get to her wand without making it obvious.

'You are trying to destroy us,' Regulus was shaking, and for the first time, Isadora noticed he was sweating and his eyes were a bit unfocused.

'I really am not,' she whispered, scared.

'And she told me how your mother drugged my father with a love potion to have you...'

'That really makes no sense at all,' Isadora said. 'Why don't we calm down and have a cup of tea?'

'I'm going to give you what you deserve,' Regulus almost growled and Isadora prepared to hide behind the counter and look for her wand. But as Regulus started waving his wand, the door opened again, and Regulus barely had time to turn around when he was hit with a Stunning spell. He collapsed on the floor as Isadora rushed to see how he was.

'Why did you do that, Jack?' Isadora cried, trying to feel Regulus' pulse. 'He's just a kid, and I think he was drugged!'

'He was about to curse you! Younger kids than him have done enough damage before,' Jack said, kneeling to examine Regulus too. 'He's just Stunned.'

'His heart is racing,' Isadora said. 'I'm calling Andromeda.'

'Well, he's fine, he's just sleeping now,' Andromeda said with relief half an hour later. Isadora and Jack had carried Regulus upstairs and put him on the spare bed they had for when Nymphadora stayed over. The girl was looking at Regulus with curiosity from behind Ted's legs.

'It wasn't that hard of a Stunner,' Jack said with worry. 'Why's he still unconscious?

'Well, he was on a potion, no doubt,' Andromeda said. 'It's a new one, we've been getting kids of Regulus' age regularly for the last month at Saint Mungo's, haven't we, Ted?'

'Yeah,' he said. 'We don't think it's a hallucinogen, but it's been making them a little paranoid.'

'And that's why you must never do drugs, Nymphadora,' Andromeda told her daughter, trying to hide a smile. Nymphadora shook her head, making her green pigtails hit the sides of her face.

'He said he was repeating things Bellatrix told him,' Isadora said. 'Do you think she gave it to him?'

Andromeda laughed.

'Bellatrix might be a lot of things, but she's hardly a drug-dealer,' Andromeda said, amused. There was a knock outside, and Jack went to see. He came back into the cramped room with Sirius in tow.

'What is he doing here?' he asked as soon as he saw his younger brother lying on the bed under pink covers.

'He thought he could come into my wife's shop, insult her and attempt to curse her,' Jack answered.

'He was on some sort of potion,' Isadora defended him.

'He's such an idiot,' Sirius said, approaching the bed to examine his brother. 'Will he be all right?

'He's sleeping it off, whatever he took,' Andromeda nodded. 'He'll be fine.'

'What did he tell you?' Sirius asked. Isadora was reluctant to tell them exactly what he'd said, but everyone was watching her and expecting an answer.

'He came in asking for a gift for Narcissa. And then he told me Bellatrix had told him who I was- he was quite angry about being the last to find out- and then he said I was trying to break up the family by making the two of you leave.'

Both Andromeda and Sirius laughed bitterly.

'Complete nonsense,' Andromeda said.

'He wasn't making much sense, no,' Isadora said. Regulus stirred in his sleep, and suddenly yelped in pain and clutched his left forearm. When he didn't wake up, Andromeda gently removed his right hand from his left arm and examined it.

'He got himself a tattoo,' Andromeda said, stifling a laugh. 'Of the Dark Mark. He's _so_ going to regret that someday.'

Sirius bent over to examine it and laughed dryly. It was angry red and seemed inflamed.

'He must have gotten it on some Knockturn Alley back corner where they don't ask if you're seventeen yet. It looks like it might be infected,' Andromeda set her wand to work on it.

'And that's why you must never get a tattoo, Dora,' Ted told his daughter. 'Why don't we go out into the kitchen? It's getting a bit hot in here and we should let him rest, anyway.'

Isadora wanted to stay, but she'd only be in Andromeda's way and she and Sirius were banished outside.

'What do we do when he wakes up?' Jack asked. 'Drugged or not, I don't think he'll be thrilled to be in our company.'

'He'll probably sleep all night,' Ted warned them. 'And he'll wake up very suddenly and very confused. We've had to restrain them at the hospital, some of them at least. It wouldn't be good for him to wake up by himself in an unknown room.'

'Maybe Sirius should stay by his bedside,' Isadora said tentatively. Sirius didn't look convinced.

'We all have to work in the morning,' Ted told him.

'And I wouldn't like Izzie here all by herself,' Jack said.

'Can't you take him to the hospital?' Sirius asked.

'Beds and Healers are needed for many more urgent cases than his,' Andromeda said, entering the kitchen. 'I couldn't heal his tattoo, though, it's very intricately protected. I put some Murtlap essence on it, so it shouldn't hurt. He can come in to Saint Mungo's and have it seen by himself.'

'I'll open the shop later and stay with you while we wait for him to wake up,' Isadora told Sirius. 'I would really like to talk to him sensibly. I don't want him walking away believing what he believes now.'

'Izzie, if there's something the Blacks are incredibly good at, it's self-deception,' Andromeda said. 'He'll believe what he wants to believe.' Isadora thought that it was curiously true, and that it applied to every Black she'd ever known. It even applied to her mother. 'It won't be good for him to wake up to you and Sirius, and feel cornered. Other kids have been very violent when they woke up, and you can always straighten things out later. I think we should call Orion and have him pick him up.'

'Oh, I don't know about that,' Isadora said panicking. She hadn't seen her father since her wedding. Orion had even returned all of Janey's letters unopened. Isadora hadn't forgiven him for breaking her mother's heart. 'Why don't we call Narcissa?' she said, to everyone's surprise. 'I'd much rather see Narcissa. And Regulus likes her.'

It took work to convince everyone, and Ted had to leave and take Nymphadora home before Andromeda could write a short note to her sister. She made it clear that she wasn't happy about it. Isadora watched Andromeda struggle to be impersonal and business-like as she told her about the last time she'd written to Narcissa, in 1971. It had been an ambush, and Bellatrix had tried to bring Andromeda back to their parents' house to "make her see reason". They had dinner while they waited for the owl to arrive to London, and all through it Andromeda warned them that Narcissa might betray everyone again. It was the early morning hours when they finally heard an Apparition pop and someone knocked on the shop's front door. Andromeda and Sirius went to open it with their wands out. Isadora and Jack waited by the stairs that led to the shop from their flat eagerly. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears by the time a cloaked figure appeared on the landing.

'Evening,' Isadora greeted her. Narcissa looked up with a scowl and didn't return the greetings.

'You are in our house now, and we would appreciate a little civility,' Jack told her coldly, and Narcissa looked at him as if he was gum on her shoe.

'Evening,' she said in a sarcastic tone. 'Where is he?'

'Through there,' Isadora pointed to the spare room. Narcissa rushed to her youngest cousin and Andromeda went behind her. Sirius lagged on the stairs.

'You can see why people find her so charming,' he said, making Isadora smile. They went into the room, where Narcissa had begun moving the sheets.

'He's got a nasty tattoo on his forearm and he should get it looked at,' Andromeda was saying, and then Narcissa suddenly dropped the sheets, scared.

'We think he got it in some hell-hole in Knockturn Alley, because it's infected and it keeps hurting him,' Sirius said with a smile. Narcissa stared at them for a minute.

'A tattoo, yes. And infected, of course,' she repeated, looking stunned. 'What an idiot,' she said laconically.

They got him out of bed and made him float, standing, next to Narcissa. Andromeda used some charms they used to move patients at the hospital, and he seemed to be somehow tied to Narcissa, so she could take him through the Floo. They went slowly downstairs, as Andromeda explained the countercharms. Isadora wondered at the easy flow of the conversation between the sisters after six years of silence despite all of Andromeda's reservations. While they talked, Isadora scribbled a note and gave it to Narcissa in a sealed envelope.

'Give this to my father,' she asked. 'Please.'

'Can't you do it yourself?' Narcissa asked impatiently.

'Actually, no,' Isadora said, and then grabbed the carefully wrapped scarf knitted by Minnie the house elf. 'And this is for you. Regulus bought it for you.'

Narcissa grabbed both things and stuffed them into her cloak's pocket with undisguised impatience. She took Floo powder from the plate next to the fireplace and lit the fire with her wand.

'Happy birthday, sis,' Andromeda whispered while the fire roared taking Narcissa and Regulus to her childhood home.

'Will you talk to him at school?' Isadora asked Sirius as Andromeda prepared to Floo home.

'I will,' he promised.

'Thank you for coming, Andromeda,' Jack said. Isadora thanked her too and watched her go. Sirius said goodbye to Jack and Isadora pulled him in an embrace.

'Bellatrix told him some really wretched things,' she whispered in his ear. 'Please tell him the truth.'

'I will, don't worry,' he promised again, and Floo'd home to the Potters'.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

**(1979)**

_'The weather will remain this awful for the rest of the week, Archibald,' _Harold was saying_. 'We are expecting an electric storm for tonight and the whole of tomorrow. There'll be a descent on temperature next and quite possibly snow before Saturday.'_

_'Quite the traditional January, then,' _Archibald said_. 'Although experts say the weather's been influenced by illegal Dementors breeding on the fog, Harold.'_

_'Well, it's not like Britain can actually tell the difference, Archibald,' _Harold laughed dryly.

Isadora laughed sincerely at the unfunny joke. For once, just for today, she felt like she could brave whatever horrible news were transmitted. Disappearances, murders, attacks- nothing would ruin her good mood. Nothing would ruin her good mood for the next nine months- well, more like seven-and-three-weeks, she thought. She had had to owl Jack; she couldn't wait for him to get home to tell him. He'd written back saying he'd try to beg off early, but Isadora had replied asking him not to tell the people at work yet. Not just because it was customary to wait until after the first trimester, but also because she wanted to tell her mum first- she thought they could take her out for a meal the next day and spring the news before dessert. Then they'd have Andromeda, Sirius, Ted, Chelsea and Cathy over for a meal on Saturday. They were going to the Gallaghers' for Sunday lunch already, though maybe they could invite John and Sarah along with Janey the next day. Yeah, that seemed more appropriate.

Isadora flipped through a magazine trying to kill time. Business had been terribly slow with the state of affairs. The shop now sported a huge mudblood graffiti permanently- no matter how many times she Vanished it, it always appeared there the next day. She rather suspected the Johnson's son, though Mr. Johnson the bookshop keeper had never been anything but kind to her. Jack had convinced her to leave it up, and it attracted the feisty, proud muggleborns who often talked about the need for a good cleansing of Ministry officials who were going too soft on the Death Eaters. Sometimes, Isadora thought they were only coming in for that sort of chat, and she didn't want her shop to become some sort of Mudbloods United headquarters. Maybe she ought to Vanish it, even if it meant doing it every morning. The Ministry girls and other usual clients were too scared to shop there anymore. Now that she had to think of the baby, it was a good excuse to make the shop look less threatening and not feel bad about letting down the fight.

There was a flash of lightning and thunder outside. Rain was pouring down. Isadora hoped Jack would remember to use an umbrella charm. He always forgot they existed.

She stopped to read an interview about some new musician she didn't know. The journalist was called Stella. It was also Jack's grandmother's name, she remembered. She liked it. Maybe she should suggest it to Jack.

The musician was called Sturgis. She didn't like Sturgis; it made her think of an old lonely man that lived on her childhood neighborhood. Maybe Jack would want to name him John like him and his father, although Isadora struggled to think what they'd call him every day. She supposed they'd have to settle with Junior. Perhaps a middle name…

There was another roar of thunder, but no lightning this time. Isadora stared outside, frowning. There was something odd. Lightning appeared then, but no thunder. She waited. Maybe she should lock up. Jack wouldn't be home for another couple of hours and he could come in through the back...

Lighting again, but this time it was red.

She rushed to lock the door, but the four hooded figures outside were already too close. The one in the front had a wand out and Disarmed Isadora through the glass. Panic overtook her. She thought she could make it to the Floo in time, but then she looked at the Death Eaters and saw her eyes behind the mask, and Bellatrix launched herself forward. She opened the door with a bang and made Isadora fly backwards. Her head hit the back wall and Isadora saw black.

She was gagged and tied when she woke up. She looked around, and she saw she was in her own cellar, amongst rolls of fabrics. The Death Eaters had removed their masks. Bellatrix was at the front with her husband Rodolphus. The other two seemed to be Julius Malfoy and a younger man barely out of school. Isadora realized she was never going to survive this. They wouldn't have removed their masks otherwise.

'Welcome,' Bellatrix said in a ceremonious voice, 'to your fourth lesson on Defense against the Mudbloods. We will begin with the Cruciatus Curse today.'

Isadora moaned into her gag, and Bellatrix turned to her sharply.

'Oh, good, you are up,' she said, and kicked her in the stomach. Isadora cried and coughed, feeling her tea threatening to come out the wrong way. She remembered the baby suddenly, and started squirming in fear. Bellatrix ignored her.

'Now, boys,' she said, circling the two younger men. 'Remember; you need to mean it. You need to want to cause her pain,' she almost whispered into the men's ears. Julius Malfoy shivered. Isadora then realized that the way they were moving and their unfocused eyes reminded her of Regulus, coming into her shop to attack her all those months ago.

'Look at her,' Rodolphus said, grabbing Isadora by the hair and forcing half her body up from the floor. 'She's one of them. You've seen the writing outside of her shop. She's proud to be one of those who want to wreck our world.'

Isadora felt cold tears on her cheeks and tried to beg please don't, don't do this, but the gag kept her from forming words, and it came out as incoherent sounds.

'She would love to clad our children in demin jackets and blue jims.' Bellatrix laughed. 'She's the sort who'll invite pureblood children into pubs during Hogsmeade weekend and fill their heads with muggle rubbish,' she whispered, walking around the men. They looked unstable and paranoid, but also quite sure.

Isadora kept babbling and crying into her gag, desperation taking over. Her life couldn't end this way, it couldn't be over already. There was having her child. _Please, Bellatrix, _she thought,_ eight more months and you can do whatever you want to me_. Jack would want revenge and so would Sirius and they'd go and get themselves killed over this. And her mother would be alone.

'Remember, gentlemen, the incantation,' Rodolphus said, and Julius and the other said _Crucio_, which made Isadora cower, but nothing happened. They were only practicing.

'We shall demonstrate first,' Bellatrix said cheerfully. She and Rodolphus pointed their wands at her and Isadora watched them in horror and repeated 'no, no, no, no', which seemed to be about the only word that more or less could be understood. It wasn't as if they cared.

_Crucio_

Red beams shot through her and the pain was like nothing she'd ever felt before. Like a million needles prickling her to the bone. She screamed into her gag. The few seconds it lasted seemed like hours to her.

'You see how her back arched?' Bellatrix was saying when Isadora managed to focus again. 'That means you are doing it right. Don't look for the tears or the screams,' she yelled the incantation again, and Isadora screamed and cried, only to realize she was merely pointing at her with the finger and nothing had happened. Bellatrix laughed. 'They'll scream and cry even if you use a Tickling Jinx. It's pure fear.'

'Your turn, Avery,' Rodolphus said. Avery stepped forward and pointed his wand. Isadora searched for his eyes, but Avery wasn't looking at hers.

'Look what she's trying to do,' Bellatrix whispered in the boy's ear. 'She wants you to feel pity. Never look into their eyes, not for now. Once you've got a bit of practice, the eyes tell a lot. They tell when they're ready to give up information, if that's what you're after. But in cases like this, never look into their eyes. Go on now, Avery, show us how good you are.'

Isadora couldn't keep track of much after that. Avery and Julius took turns torturing her. She thought Avery was crueler than Julius, but neither of them beat Rodolphus. Bellatrix was the worst. She relished in it. Isadora could always tell when Bellatrix was the one doing it.

'Now, take care not to kill her- that pleasure is mine,' Bellatrix purred.

Isadora passed out at some point. She knew this because she woke up, and the men were further away. Bellatrix had her face so near hers that Isadora jumped and banged her head against the wall.

'Trees have to be pruned before stronger branches can grow,' Bellatrix said in her ear. 'I told you a long time ago you didn't deserve that name. Of course, I didn't know back then what I know now... But you should have listened.'

She kicked her in the stomach again. Then she put her hand on Isadora's thigh, and showed her her fingers stained with blood.

'Looks like you were pregnant. Not anymore,' she laughed. 'Now I'll save my uncle's honor. You wouldn't stop, would you? You told half the family and appropriated far too many of them. You brought this on yourself.'

Isadora didn't think she had the strength to cry anymore. She stared at Bellatrix's mad face, which actually looked serious and maybe even sorrowful for a moment. Isadora knew perfectly well why, she didn't have any questions and she knew it was useless to beg. She thought she'd lost the will to live.

'Shall we wait for hubby?' Bellatrix said with renewed mirth and she squirmed. They all laughed this time and started talking about what they'd do to Jack when he came home. Isadora could see it in her head clearly- Jack coming in with flowers, ready to celebrate. Confused at finding the shop empty, hearing noises coming from the cellar, coming down thinking Isadora was doing the inventory... and finding this. She started crying again, doing her best to beg.

But then something happened, and the four Death Eaters clutched their left forearms in pain.

'The Dark Lord calls us,' Bellatrix said. 'It looks like hubby'll be fine. But we'll get to him, don't worry.'

The men left, and Isadora had a glimmer of hope. But then Bellatrix stood by her side and aimed the wand at her chest. Isadora closed her eyes for the last time, waiting for the curse.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

It was quite the nice day, really, the first bit of sun they'd seen in weeks. The children were outside the church, playing under the watchful eyes of James' girlfriend, Lily, and another of Sirius' friends, Peter. James and Remus were sitting at either side of Sirius. Andromeda knew he was angry. They didn't know, not really, who had done it, but there was little doubt in their minds. Ted and Chelsea were sitting with Jack and his parents. Jack's sisters were mixing with some of Isadora's old Hufflepuff friends, a handful of loyal clients and some girls who'd apprenticed at Gladrags. Professors Sprout and Slughorn had come too. These days, too many people were too accustomed to going to funerals. Privately, Andromeda thought they were being rude. They wouldn't miss Isadora like they would. It had become a fashion of sorts to go to funerals lately; they were places to be seen at, to gossip, to exchange information about how best to avoid running the same fate as the dearly departed.

Janey was shaking. Alice had one arm on her shoulders and Andromeda was holding her hand. They felt terribly frustrated that they weren't able to do more. She made Andromeda feel a little bit sick- she'd always been taught to not display her feelings publicly like that. The idea had been drilled into her brain, and now she felt incapable to handle this. Janey was attracting everyone's sorry looks. She wasn't even able to hear Sirius' eulogy or the priest's words.

In the middle of the silence, Andromeda heard familiar footsteps. Janey turned around faster than she could. Uncle Orion had entered and sat in one of the last benches, as if trying to not attract attention, but it was too late.

When the service was over, he was the first to approach the casket. His hand stroked the hard wood as if it was Isadora's cheek. Andromeda felt her eyes water when she saw the look in his eyes, but it didn't appear to affect Sirius. He was next to his father before anyone realized, and then he punched him so hard Orion tripped and fell sitting on the floor. James and Ted were there in an instant to hold back Sirius, but the damage was done.

'It's too fucking late, Orion,' Sirius said in a rage. 'It's too fucking late to claim she's your daughter. This is all YOUR FUCKING FAULT.'

'Calm down, Padfoot,' James tried to sooth him.

'Jack and Janey don't need this, mate,' Ted said. To the mention of Janey, Orion looked at her from the floor.

'Janey, please,' he said in a pitiful tone Andromeda couldn't have recognized on him. 'I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me, please, darling...'

To Andromeda's surprise, Janey shook her head.

'Leave, Arthur,' she said, in a low but firm voice. 'Just leave us alone.'

Orion stared at her as if he didn't understand, until Jack came to repeat the request less kindly. Only then Slughorn, Aunt Cassiopeia and Charlus Potter stepped in to help Orion up from the floor, and promised Andromeda- who somehow now seemed to be hosting- they'd take him home safely.

'I broke my stupid hand,' Sirius complained, sobbing, once his father had left.

The burial was quieter. Only those closer to Isadora were there, and Andromeda felt much more relaxed. Nymphadora kept asking why this and why that. She didn't seem to have fully grasped the concept of death yet. Andromeda couldn't decide whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

The only moment of panic was when two cloaked figures appeared between some old graves. Andromeda thought for a second they could be Death Eaters, but they weren't hostile. She saw a glimmer of blonde hair and a light blue scarf, and took a wild guess. Narcissa and Regulus remained only a few minutes. When Andromeda looked again, they were gone.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

It was almost eleven months since Isadora's death, and to Andromeda's eyes Janey wasn't coping well. Jack had gone for drinks with Ted, his brothers-in-law and his dad, and he'd gotten drunk and picked fights with other drunken men and dealt with it his way. He was quieter, angrier and more sullen than his old self, but he was still recognizable. It had taken him months to confess to the rest of them that Isadora and he had just found out she was pregnant, which had reopened everyone's wounds. But the worst had passed, now. Andromeda was confident he would be all right.

Janey was another matter. She seemed fine, most of the time. The Tonkses made an effort- Alice often took her out to the cinema or the theatre, maybe shopping. They often let her babysit Nymphadora. She seemed happy enough when doing it, but her smile never quite reached her eyes. Nothing seemed to distract her from her grief for even a second. Her distinctive cheerful personality was gone and it seemed unlikely that it would ever come back. Andromeda often wondered what Janey did when there was no one with her. Once she'd left her sitting on the couch, and when she'd come back a day later, she was still there, wearing the same clothes, staring into space.

She and Alice exchanged a look, unsure of how to tell her the bad news they had for her. There was no way to tell how she was going to react, or even if she was going to react at all.

'Aunt Cassiopeia came to pay me a visit yesterday,' she begun. 'She had some bad news.'

'That's sad, dear,' Janey said absently.

'It's about Arthur, Janey,' Alice said with sympathy. Janey seemed a bit more focused then.

'Apparently Aunt Walburga found a letter Isadora once wrote to him,' Andromeda started. Janey perked up when she heard her daughter's name and interrupted:

'Isadora never wrote to her father,' she argued.

'She did,' Andromeda said. 'Once, after her wedding. I was there. One day Regulus… never mind,' she choked. Regulus' death was still too fresh for Andromeda.

'Anyway,' Alice continued. 'Walburga found the letter and she flew into a rage and they had a terrible argument. '

'Aunt Cassiopeia said she was still rambling like a madwoman a few days after,' Andromeda said. 'The thing is… Orion left. He left a suicide note. It said life had no meaning now that he had lost all his children. '

'He's not been seen since,' Alice finished.

'But he could be alive,' Janey said quietly. Andromeda shook her head.

'A date of death appeared on the family tree tapestry. It's never been wrong before. I'm so sorry, Janey. '

To Andromeda's surprise, Janey's reaction was exactly what they could have hoped for. She cried softly into Alice's shoulder for a little while, drank a good cup of tea with a bit of whisky in it and thanked them for all their kindness. Andromeda and Alice left a few hours later feeling relieved. They couldn't imagine that two days later they'd come to find the house empty and never see Janey again.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

** (1998)**

Janey watched the sun rise from between some of the sister islands on the Caribbean Sea. She served Arthur his coffee and put it on the little garden table on which they usually breakfasted. The owl had already delivered the two-day-old _The Daily Prophet_ and the local wizarding newspaper. They loved breakfasting early and watching the sun rise, and had done it almost every day for the last- oh, almost twenty years now. Ever since they had bought the Star Dog islet- part of the Dog Islands, which were part of the British Virgin Islands- and made it unplottable so no muggle or wizard could ever find it, they'd lived in tranquility. All painful memories of the past were forgotten, except in the mornings, when Arthur insisted on keeping himself updated with the British news.

Arthur sat on the table and sighed at the view that ought to have become invisible by now. It pained Janey to break the enchantment.

'Andromeda's daughter is dead,' she announced. 'The war is over. The Dark Lord was defeated by Harry Potter. Bellatrix died in battle too. She was the one who killed Nymphadora.'

Arthur seemed frozen. He grabbed the newspaper and glanced at the front page. There was a gruesome photograph of Voldemort's corpse and a tired, dirty teenager standing to its side. He had James Potter's hair.

'I wondered why there was a gap between the first of May and the third,' he said casually, though he didn't fool Janey. 'The country must be in an uproar.'

'Do you want to go back?' Janey asked. She had asked that question many times- when word had reached them of Voldemort's fall, of Sirius' trial and imprisonment, of Walburga's madness and death, of Arthur's father's death, of Sirius' escape from Azkaban, and finally, of Sirius' death. He had always turned off the offer saying "Not for now".

'Janey, the world is for the living,' he said this time. 'We are dead.'

'Except that we are not.'

Arthur pulled her arm and sat her on his lap. He kissed her forehead tenderly.

'The world I knew is gone,' he said. 'Britain belongs to the victors now. Sirius saw it fit to leave our house to Harry Potter, who has now turned into a national hero. Merlin, he faced off the Dark Lord and won- he's my national hero. He and the Order of the Phoenix own Britain and my house. Let's let them do with it as they wish. I am quite content being dead.'

'What of our children?' Janey asked. 'Are they not alive? Don't they deserve to know where they come from?'

'Rigel and Ursula are charming, unremarkable, spoiled children,' he said. 'With no knowledge of politics and no ideology besides of Quidditch. Let them be that way. We shouldn't ruin them by introducing them to all our dead and make them fight for the spoils of war.'

'You are right,' Janey admitted. 'We are dead and live in paradise. But I would like to visit Isadora's grave sometime.'

'Maybe you could take Ursula to Europe for her sixteenth birthday. You could join Rigel on his World Tour for a little while, and leave them to go out on their own while you visit the graveyard. But you'd have to be extremely careful not to run into anyone.'

'Not to run into Andromeda and Jack,' Janey said. 'They are the only ones left alive who knew me. I could dye my hair and wear sunglasses...'

They took breakfast while reading the details of the final battle and later made plans for when their children came home from school in the States. Their lives as dead people seemed like a dream, ever since he'd shown up at her door a day after she'd first found out about his suicide. They often joked that he'd scared her to death, and that was how she had been able to join him. Truth be told, he'd had to beg for Janey to say yes, yes, she would leave the country and go to some Caribbean island and leave everything behind and start over. It had been hard, but there was so much pain in their world a little sunshine had seemed a good prospect. At first, the memories had haunted them every day. Over time, with the help of the sea, they'd become sweet memories to be enjoyed and they'd stung a little less. Then the children had come and they'd been married. Their lives had never been as complete as they were now, devoid of the world they'd known.

**~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~ THE END ~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~**

**Thank you for reading! This story and its marysuesque premise were born as an aid to my Andromeda/Ted story. I wanted to explore Andromeda's character through a different character's perspective, and the name Isadora had been in my brain for a while. Eventually, the experiment grew disproportionately, and I decided to give it a polish and release it to the world. Undoubtedly, it's Orion's journey the part I became most interested in.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading this and I thank those who have added me to their alerts and followed the story. I thank the reviews you left me, and I look forward to hearing from all readers.**

**I would also like to thank my betas and britpicker Cameron and Natalie. Any remaining errors are mine.**


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